Well That Just Won't Do - Book 1
by themadmage
Summary: Lily Potter died to save her son in the ultimate act of love. Turns out, it wasn't enough and Harry is being set up for a difficult life. Well, that just won't do. Seeing that her work isn't finished, Lily's ghost attaches itself to her infant son. From beyond the grave, Lily will do everything she can to protect and love Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Halloween 1981

Halloween of 1981 was a dark day in Godric's Hollow, and the weather seemed to know it. Wind whipped fat raindrops against the window panes as James and Lily Potter got their one-year-old son Harry ready for bed. The crack of apparation sounded outside once, twice, three times. James peered through the curtains and his heart dropped as he laid eyes on Voldemort, flanked by two masked Death Eaters. "Lily, it's him," James was shaken. "Take Harry, I'll try to hold him off as long as possible."

Lily gave James a kiss. "We'll do whatever it takes to protect Harry," she replied, looking into his eyes for what she knew would likely be the last time. Their gaze said the goodbyes that their voices couldn't, and Lily took Harry and ran to the nursery while James sent a patronus to alert the Order.

All too soon, the door to their cottage was blasted open, and spellfire could be heard. Lily diligently checked the protective charms set around Harry's crib and placed him inside. "Harry, baby," she whispered, "Mummy has to put a mark on your forehead baby. It will hurt but it will keep you safe." Harry whimpered, eyes filled with tears, and Lily cast a silencing charm on him. Carefully, she carved the rune Sowilo, which resembled a lightning bolt, onto his forehead. The blood and the rune activated the protective spells woven into the nursery just as Lily heard her husband fall. While Voldemort climbed the stairs towards them, Lily wrapped her child in the Potter's invisibility cloak and drew her wand.

"Where is the child?" asked a high, cold voice from the doorway.

"You're too late," replied Lily in a shaking voice. "He isn't here, the Order came and got him."

"You lie!" Voldemort's eyes flashed dangerously. "Tell me where he is and I'll spare your worthless life."

Lily met her enemy's eyes, and spoke with a new conviction in her voice as she raised her wand. "Never."

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Diffindo!"_

Lily's severing charm and Voldemort's killing curse flew past each other in the air, both striking true. Both bodies collapsed to the ground, Voldemort's head rolling into the corner of the room. Lily's death ended her silencing charm, and for a moment all that could be heard were Harry's cries. Lily's spirit sighed in relief as she gazed on the body of the darkest wizard of the age. If she had to die to save her son, she could have a peaceful afterlife knowing that she took him with her. She watched as Severus held her body and wept, and a little of the resentment she'd held onto since their fifth year eased. She lingered until the Order arrived to collect Harry, and watched in confusion as Albus sent Sirius away. Confusion turned to horror as she watched Dumbledore give a letter and her baby to Hagrid and tell him to go to Surrey. _Well that just won't do._ With a thought, Lily's soul latched onto Harry, cutting off its journey into the afterlife._ I'm sorry James, but it seems like my work isn't done. _

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." she ground out as she materialized between the two men. Her tone combined with the shock of seeing her standing there silenced them both. "I did not just die so that my son could be dropped off on my sister's doorstep - against my and James' express wishes, without so much as a word about what is to be expected." Dumbledore continued to stare at her pale form, his mouth opening and closing without sound. "James and I explicitly stated in our will that Harry should never be sent to my sister, Albus! There was a reason for that!"

Finally, Albus found his voice. "Lily," he began sadly. "Blood relatives are the safest choice for him. I can set wards at your sister's house that will build on the blood protection you and James have given him."

"Harry has a blood connection to the Black family through the Potters, Albus! Sirius is a blood relative!" Lily couldn't believe that her mentor and leader was trying to justify this - not to mention he completely failed to address the fact that he hadn't planned on so much as speaking with Tuney.

"Alas, Harry's relation to Sirius is too distant. Petunia is the only one who qualifies."

The look on Lily's face darkened as she considered her options. The Fidelius charm had somehow failed her and James, and even without their leader the remaining Death Eaters may come after Harry again. He would need the strongest protection that could be provided. "Fine," she spat out at last, "But you are going to Surrey, and you are going to knock on my sister's door and explain to her what has happened. I don't care what charms you use, you are not leaving my son on her doorstep like a parcel!"

Albus nodded, and took Harry back from Hagrid's arms. He knew better than to argue with Lily Potter, dead or alive.

"And you will be checking on him, Albus, won't you?"

"My dear Lily, he will be very closely monitored throughout his childhood, I assure you."

Appeased slightly, Lily nodded. Albus Dumbledore held tightly to Harry Potter and apparated to Surrey, pulling Lily's spirit along.

Throughout her conversation with Dumbledore, Petunia barely glanced at the whimpering one-year-old in his arms. Her disgusted looks were reserved for the headmaster himself as he ignored her claims that they couldn't take her nephew. Lily chewed on her lip, a nervous habit, and worried for her son. Despite Petunia's arguments, Dumbledore was gone within the hour and Harry and Lily remained at Number 4 Privet Drive.

"Oh, shut up, you wretch." Petunia growled at Harry, who lay swaddled on the sofa as Petunia had refused to hold him. When Harry did not stop crying, Petunia gathered one of Dudley's old crib mattresses and a threadbare blanket, shoved them into the cupboard under the stairs, and unceremoniously placed Harry on top, slamming the door on him.

"Albus, I knew this was a bad idea..." Lily moaned. "Oh, Harry, my baby, I'm so sorry."

"Mummy hold," whimpered the tiny boy.

Lily habitually tried to brush Harry's fringe out of his eyes, but her hand passed right through him and Harry shivered. "Mummy can't hold you anymore, baby. But Mummy still loves you and Mummy isn't leaving." Lily wondered if there was any way she could help her son, but as they were muggles her sister's family could not hear or see her, and she couldn't wander far from her boy or cast spells, making sending a message to the Order impossible. At a loss, she offered baby Harry the only comfort she could, and began to sing until his cries subsided and he fell asleep.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word..."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I meant to put this on the first chapter, but this story is being cross-posted from AO3, where I have the same username. Aside from the copyrighted material, which belongs to J.K.R., it is mine and not stolen!

Chapter 2: Snapshots from 1981 to 1991

Harry Potter did not have an easy life with the Dursleys.

While they lavished attention and love on their son Dudley, Harry was given just enough food to survive, and was only cleaned up when he was fed. The rest of his time was spent in the cupboard, out of sight and out of mind. Lily gave him all the comfort she could, singing him lullabies and telling him stories about her schooldays with the Marauders, and her childhood with Severus, and all about the wizarding world. She sustained herself on Albus' promise to check on Harry.

As days and weeks passed without a visit from the headmaster, Lily grew more and more upset with the man. She longed for news of her friends in the wizarding world, to know if the remaining Death Eaters had been imprisoned, and if the war was truly over. Furthermore, she decided based on what she knew about the Fidelius charm that Peter Pettigrew must have betrayed her and James, and she wondered if he had been caught and punished. If he betrayed them, that likely meant he had been the leak in the Order as well. Without any connection to the wizarding world to bring her news, Lily was forced to wait with her baby and hope for the best.

As Harry started to talk more, he asked Lily questions about the world they were from and she repeated his favorite stories over and over. She warned him, however, to speak quietly when he talked to her, to not repeat her stories to the Dursleys, and to never mention to them that she was there. She explained to her son that Petunia was a jealous woman, and that talking about magic to her family was dangerous. Lily apologized to her son for the circumstances he found himself in, assured him that it wasn't his fault and he didn't deserve their mistreatment, and promised him that as soon as she was able to contact Albus Dumbledore again something would be done to fix things. Still, Albus never visited.

The first time Harry showed signs of accidental magic was the first time Vernon Dursley hit him. It was fall of 1983, when Harry was three years old.

Harry and Dudley were sat in high chairs on opposite ends of the kitchen. Dudley had been given a wide array of different foods to try, and was busy smearing mashed banana onto his teddy bear's face. Harry had been given a handful of dry cereal, which he ate carefully to ensure none was dropped and went to waste. Harry watched his cousin play with his food, and wished with all his heart he could have some of what Dudley had. After all, his cousin wouldn't eat most of it anyway. Suddenly, as Harry sat there wishing, one of Dudley's containers of food snapped into his hands as if it had been summoned by the force of his wish. Lily froze for a second in surprise, then clapped and began praising Harry on his summoning charm. Internally, she worried what would happen when her sister or Vernon saw Harry with the food, but she knew to conceal that worry and focus on praising Harry for his accomplishments and encouraging him to eat the food.

At that moment, Dudley looked up and saw Harry eating. He began to wail, and cry, and scream for his parents. Petunia came in first and began verbally berating Harry for 'stealing' Dudley's food, calling him a freak several times. Lily redoubled her efforts to praise Harry who was looking back and forth between the sisters, eyes wide and filled with tears. When Vernon came in and saw the scene, he turned a dark shade of red and cuffed Harry on the side of the face. As his skin stung and a bruise formed, Harry began to cry. Vernon picked him up by the arm and threw him into the cupboard while Petunia went to soothe Dudley, plying him with extra sweets.

Lily would have cried if she were able, her heart ached for her son. If she could, once she was done crying she would have throttled Albus for putting Harry in this situation and lying to her about checking on him. As it was she couldn't do either of those things, so she cooed and sang to Harry to calm him. Eventually, he fell asleep.

Food did not come the next day. Lily distracted Harry from that fact by telling all his favorite stories about Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony. Given her realizations about Peter, Wormtail was left out of the retellings. Harry didn't notice the difference, and she would not have him idolizing a traitor.

When Harry was let out of the cupboard, Vernon firmly told him that his 'freakishness' would not be tolerated. Later, Harry asked his Mummy how he could stop his magic from happening again. She explained as carefully as she could that he had to let his magic out sometimes, and that it would happen accidentally when he didn't use it. She then helped him to focus his magic on wishing his bruise healed, and promised to help him learn to control it to make sure the Dursleys never saw him use it again.

"One day, Harry baby, you'll go to Hogwarts and you won't have to hide it anymore," Lily promised her son as he drifted to sleep. "One day, things will get better."

Harry learned many things while he lived with the Dursleys. He learned self-control, practicing keeping his magic in when his relatives were around and letting it out when it was safe. He learned how to be sneaky, creeping into the kitchen at night if the cupboard wasn't locked and carefully taking only food that wouldn't be missed. When Harry was six, he started learning to cook for the Dursleys. Lily was outraged that her sister would expect a child to prepare meals, but gave him the instruction that Petunia wouldn't in order to keep him safe. When Harry went to school, he learned his subjects and also learned how to strategically maneuver his grades into the narrow range that wouldn't upset Petunia and Vernon - lower than Dudley's grades, but not failing. When his teachers told him they were concerned with his work, he learned how to talk to people and manipulate them.

Lily wished her son didn't need to learn all of these things, but was proud of him for his adaptability and survival. She continued to tell him stories at night, and gave him enough compliments to balance out the derision Harry received from others in his life. She also taught him the most important thing he needed to know - that he was loved.

Harry was nine the first time he talked to a snake. It was spring of 1990, one of the first warm days of the year, and Harry was getting the garden ready for planting when a young grass snake slithered out of its den. Harry, who was lonely and wished he had someone to talk to besides his mum, said a casual hello. The snake paused in its motions and swung its head towards Harry, darting its tongue out to taste the air.

_"Hello,"_ it replied.

Harry jumped in surprise, having not expected the snake to respond. He checked over his shoulder for Petunia, sure that talking to animals fell into the category of 'freakishness', before replying. _"How are you doing?"_

_"I'm tired. It's still too cold out,"_ whined the young snake.

Harry wasn't sure how to reply other than to reassure it that the weather was getting warmer. Lily, who had been observing the neighbor's dog in their yard, finally noticed the hissing and turned to look. She gasped quietly, shocked, when she realized that her son was casually conversing with a snake. Glad that her son was distracted, she collected herself. She couldn't risk rejecting her son's abilities while he was living with Petunia and she was his only support.

Later in the cupboard, Lily told Harry that his ability to talk to snakes was rare, even in the wizarding world. "The language is called Parseltongue," she told him, "and people who can speak it are called Parselmouths. It's a magical language, so it can't be taught or learned. You have to be born a Parseltongue. But a lot of people are afraid of Parselmouths. All of the famous ones in history have been Dark."

"Does that mean I have to stop talking to snakes, Mum?" Harry asked fearfully, "I don't want to be a Dark wizard."

"No baby, it doesn't mean that. The talents you have don't force you to be Dark or Light. It just means that you should be careful when you go to Hogwarts, and only let people that you trust know that you are a Parselmouth."

Harry, slightly appeased, nodded and asked his mum for another story about the wizarding world.

As Harry got older, Lily told Harry more and more stories about Hogwarts. She still told him stories of his family, of course, but she mixed in tales about the castle, its history, its founders and their houses. She described the values of each house, and firmly told him that no house was better than another. She told him that sometimes there were tensions between the houses, but that they were no more important than school rivalries and could easily be overcome. She reminded him that she had been a Gryffindor whose best friend was a Slytherin for most of her years at school "and just because Severus and I eventually had a falling out and grew apart does not mean that inter-house friendships can't last."

"Yes Mum," said Harry with fond exasperation. This wasn't the first time he had heard this from her. "Which house do you think I'll be in?"

Lily had her suspicions, observing her son day in and day out, but she always deflected and said it was impossible to know until the Sorting and she would be proud no matter which it was. She refused to influence him one way or another.

Harry's Hogwarts letter came in July of 1991, when he was almost eleven years old. Vernon intercepted it, and tore it to pieces. Lily and Harry were disappointed, but not surprised. The next day, two letters came and met the same fate. The next day there were four. When eight letters came the day after that, Vernon boarded up the house. The sixteen letters on the doorstep the following day prompted him to pack up his family and take them to a motel. When thirty-two letters arrived at the motel, he brought them to a little hut on an island. Vernon Dursley clearly did not understand that magic could find them anywhere they went. Lily and Harry, having noticed the doubling pattern, anticipated sixty-four letters on Harry's birthday. Instead, they got a half giant.

Hagrid confronted Vernon Dursley and put him firmly in his place with a show of strength. Lily thanked Merlin that someone had finally made contact.

"Well, I was sent ter see why yeh weren't respondin' to yer letters, Harry, but I think I know now." Hagrid said as he turned to the wide-eyed boy. "Name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts! It's good to see yeh 'Arry, I 'aven't seen yeh since yeh was a baby. And Lily too o' course."

"Hagrid," Lily interrupted in a hurry, "Vernon and Petunia can't see me, don't talk to me in front of them." Hagrid was confused for a moment, but wisely followed Lily's instructions.

"Well 'Arry, I'm here to give you yer Hogwarts letter, answer yer questions, and take yeh to get your supplies. Shall we talk in me boat?" Vernon tried once more to interrupt here, but Hagrid only hustled Harry out the door faster, as he didn't resist and Hagrid was sure Lily had explained anything that the boy could want to know about the school.

Harry was slightly in shock about the whole situation, but excited to finally be going to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. Once they were in the boat and gliding towards shore, propelled by magic of course, Hagrid gave Harry a single letter. Harry tore it open and read it while Lily questioned Hagrid about the last ten years.

"Most o' the Death Eaters were rounded up and sent teh Azkaban or given teh Kiss o' course," Hagrid told her nervously. "A few got off sayin' they was under the imperious curse or somethin', but they've bin quiet at least. Teh Longbottoms are in Mungo's, teh this day, unfortunately. Remus went off travelin'."

"And Sirius and Pettigrew, Hagrid? What about them?"

Hagrid fidgeted nervously and glanced over at Harry, who was still reading over the letter. He answered her question as quietly as he could. "Well, yeh see, after yeh died, Black finished off Peter, and a whole crowd o' muggles with 'im. 'E's in Azkaban too."

Lily was stunned. "Hagrid, no, that can't possibly be true. Someone must have bought off the trial."

"Wasn't no trial to buy off, Lily."

"What do you mean there wasn't a trial?" Lily asked incredulously, "He's been in Azkaban for a decade because they think he killed those people?"

"Well, after 'e betrayed yeh and James, I'd 'ave thought yeh'd not be surprised."

Lily pinched her nose and took a deep breath. "Hagrid, Sirius didn't betray us. Peter was our Secret Keeper. Sirius needs to have a trial."

Hagrid didn't know what to say. "Well, I'm sure teh Headmaster knows somethin'."

"Oh, yes, speaking of our esteemed Headmaster," Lily replied in a saccharine voice, "Could you by chance help me to arrange a meeting with dear Albus? I have been missing him sorely these last ten years, since he said he would check up on Harry and we never once saw him." Her sickly sweet tone took on a bite as she finished her statement. Hagrid gulped and nodded nervously. Lily, satisfied that she hadn't lost her touch, saved the rest of her ire for the meeting. The unlikely trio made the rest of the journey in relative silence.

Harry did not have an easy life with the Dursleys, he reflected, but without his Mum it could have been worse.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Diagon Alley

"Hagrid," began Lily as they approached the Leaky Cauldron in London. "It was always my dream to take Harry to Diagon Alley to get his school things. Since the Death Eaters have been neutralized, I think Harry and I can handle the shopping."

Hagrid thought for a moment, clearly trying to decide if a ghost should qualify as a proper escort for an eleven-year-old, even if it was the ghost of his mum. Eventually he settled on an answer. "Alrigh'. I got some business teh take care o' at Gringotts, so I'll head there wit' yeh, and then I'll let yeh be off. Shall we meet back here at teh Leaky teh go home?"

Lily smiled sweetly. "Hagrid, I think Harry and I should stay in Diagon Alley until start of term." Hagrid looked unsure, but Lily soldiered on. "What you saw from Vernon was really only a mild example of how they've treated Harry while he's been there. That's what I want to discuss with Albus, you see. I really think, even if I'm the only one with him, that Harry will be safer staying in Diagon Alley." Both Harry and Lily gave Hagrid sincere, earnest looks.

Hagrid sighed and shook his head. "Well, alrigh'. I suppose yeh are 'is Mum, yeh know what's best for 'im. Best not mention this at school, though."

"Oh, Hagrid, I knew you'd see what's best," gushed Lily as Hagrid tapped the bricks with his umbrella to reveal Diagon Alley. "Don't worry, we won't let anyone know."

At Gringotts, Hagrid and the Potters went their separate ways, Hagrid having given Harry his vault key with strict instructions to keep it safe. "We'll get you a chain to put it on so you can wear it," Lily had said. Harry had known what to expect at the bank from his mother's stories, but the cart ride and seeing the pile of gold still left him awestruck. True to her word, Lily directed Harry to buy a chain for his key first thing after leaving the bank. The majority of their shopping was as uneventful as seeing the alley for the first time could be. Lily's heart swelled watching Harry's face light up, knowing that at last he could have the happiness he deserved. Everywhere they went, people stared and whispered at the Potters. Lily was recognized as a hero for being the one to behead Voldemort, and Harry was almost as well-known, being the target and the only survivor on either side of the attack that horrible night. He had been dubbed the Boy-Who-Lived for his lucky break, and Lily was known as the One-Who-Stayed for her last stand. It was absurd, if you asked her, but no one did so Lily just focused on experiencing this day with her son.

At Flourish and Blotts, Harry picked up all the required school books along with a few extras that Lily recommended for History of Magic and Potions, and a Calligraphy book so Harry could learn to write with a quill. The majority of Harry's school supplies were unremarkable. Lily kept Harry in line while indulging him in a few non-necessities. He deserved nice things, after all, and she was finally in a position to allow them. Nearing the end of their list, the Potters walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for Every Occaision to get Harry's uniform.

The witch running the shop was so distracted that she didn't recognize the pair, which suited them just fine. "Another for Hogwarts? Head to the back room and stand up on the stool, we'll get you measured, dear."

There was one boy already in the back room, pale with high cheekbones, white-blonde hair, and a self-important attitude. He gave Harry an appraising look before his eyes glided to Lily. He paused, recognition in his eyes, but did not gape like so many people in the alley. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he began in an accent that screamed 'old money', "Not many people get escorted through Diagon Alley by a ghost, so you must be Harry Potter and Mrs. Potter. Pleasure to meet you."

Harry glanced at his Mum, whose face was carefully neutral, before looking back to the boy - Draco. "Er, you too. Are you also going to be a first year?"

Conversation with Draco Malfoy was careful, both boys seemed guarded. Harry learned that Draco Malfoy expected to be a Slytherin, as it ran in his family, and planned to try to bring his own broomstick to Hogwarts regardless of the rules against first years having them. Harry felt like the other boy was trying to impress him, but he mostly came off as arrogant. When they left the robe shop, Lily finally spoke.

"His father was a Death Eater. It seems he's one of the few that didn't go to prison. I won't tell you not to be friends with him, I won't tell you that about anyone, but do be careful."

"I'm not sure I want to be friends with him, Mum. He seemed stuffy."

"Having met his parents, I would have expected him to be worse. He may change when he has some freedom at Hogwarts, for better or worse."

Harry didn't say anything else as they arrived at Ollivander's for his wand. His mother had warned him that Ollivander was an eccentric, but harmless man. They entered the little shop to the tinkling of bells, and he emerged from the rows of shelves. His eyes lit up as he saw who had arrived. "Lily Potter, ten and a quarter inches, willow, swishy and good for charms! Any idea where it ended up?"

"Oh, I haven't really thought about it honestly. It's not like I can use it anymore. I'm sure it ended up packed up with the rest of the things from the Cottage."

"Right, well, this must be young Harry Potter, then. Has your mother told you about the process?"

Harry grinned remembering his mother's story about buying her wand. "Yes sir, she has."

"Right to it, then!" Ollivander chirped happily as he began pulling boxes from the shelves. He rattled off the statistics of each wand as he gave it to Harry to try. The pile of rejected wands grew rapidly, and Ollivander seemed to relish the challenge. Finally, "Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches" did the trick and Harry produced a cascade of colored sparks. "Oh, well done! But very curious, very curious indeed."

"What's curious about it?" Lily asked, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"The phoenix whose tail feather resides in that wand gave another feather. Just one other. It's curious that this wand should choose you, Mr. Potter, when it was its brother that came to your home that ill-fated Halloween." Lily and Harry both looked at the wand warily.

"You mean to say," said Lily carefully, "That Harry's wand is the brother to Voldemort's?" Ollivander shuddered at the name, but nodded gravely. "And you're sure that this is the best wand for my son." Lily continued.

"Oh, yes, very sure. You saw the strength of its reaction, simply marvelous. The wand chooses the wizard, surely you haven't forgotten that my dear."

Lily sighed. "No, Mr. Ollivander, I haven't forgotten. I'm just a bit wary." Harry paid for the wand and they left the shop while Ollivander continued muttering about doing great things.

"Well. What do you say we stop by the Magical Menagerie and look at pets?" Lily started Harry moving down the street as she spoke, eager to move on from the morbidity of the wandmaker. "I know your letter says an owl, cat, or toad, but that rule is really more of a guideline. Your classmates, especially those from wizarding families, will have familiars of all sorts. As long as the animal you choose is generally small and quiet, you can essentially have any pet you like."

"Anything?"

"Within reason, of course. Take a look around, find someone you like." Harry smiled up at his mum and set off into the store. Lily was unsurprised when he gravitated towards the snakes. Luckily, that section of the store was relatively uninhabited and no one could hear him greeting them in Parseltongue. Twenty minutes later, he had bonded with a Boomslang, proclaiming its name to be Mehen after the Egyptian snake god. Lily smiled genuinely as Harry purchased his new friend and the supplies to sustain him, and they set off to rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron.

The month of August was spent primarily in the room above the Leaky Cauldron, taking meals in the pub. Lily had warned Harry about going out into the alley too much, since if he encountered danger there really wasn't anything either of them would be able to do about it. Harry didn't mind, since there was more space than in his cupboard and no Dursleys to contend with. He spent his days reading his new school books and discussing them with his mother, and bonding with Mehen. His couple of trips out of the pub were to Flourish and Blotts for further reading material on topics that caught his interest. Luckily, his mother had thought ahead and the trunk they had picked out had an expanded interior and built in lightening charms, so Harry would be able to take all the books he was collecting along with him easily.

Before he knew it, it was September first. Harry made his way to King's Cross station, and Lily explained to him one more time about running through the barrier to get onto Platform 9 3/4. Once they were on the other side, Harry quickly made his way to the train and found an empty compartment.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: September 1st 1991

Harry and Lily Potter chatted quietly in an empty compartment while Platform 9 3/4 slowly filled up outside their window.

"I'm going to give you some space," Lily delicately told Harry as students started to filter into the train. Harry looked at her, sad and confused, wondering why she would need to leave. "Talk to the other kids, make some friends. You can't do that with me hovering over your shoulder. I won't really be gone, anyways. Just out of sight."

Harry sighed, and nodded. "I love you, Mum."

Lily smiled sweetly. "I love you too, baby." As she faded out of view, the compartment door slid open and a shock of bright red hair appeared.

"Hey, you a first year too?"

"Yeah, name's Ron Weasley. Can I join you?"

"Sure." At that moment, Ron got his first clear look at Harry. He noticed the bright green eyes that had been in every newspaper and modern history book in the last decade, and peeking out from behind Harry's black mop of hair was the edge of the lightning bolt scar that was symbolic of Lily Potter's last stand against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Ron gasped. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

"Er, yeah."

"Is she here too? Lily Potter?" Ron asked as he wildly looked around the apparently empty compartment. At that moment, Harry realized his mum had been right to fade into the background for now. She was there, but Ron didn't need to know that.

"She said she was going to give me some space, to get to know my classmates."

"Oh, alright." Ron looked disappointed, but he recovered quickly. "Do you play quidditch?"

"No, I've been living with muggles... But my mum's told me all about it! I can't wait to learn to fly. I want to be on my house team, just like my dad." Conversation flowed easily for awhile, and the train was in motion before the door opened again.

"Anything off the trolly, dears?" asked the kindly witch in the doorway.

Harry had only had a chance to try a couple of the wizarding sweets his mum had talked about while they were in Diagon Alley, so he quickly bought one of everything. While he was paying, a large toad slipped into the compartment. Harry and Ron didn't see, but Mehen flicked his tongue in the air and hissed, _"I smell someone's pet."_

_"Leave it be,"_ replied Harry under his breath, hoping that Ron didn't hear. Ron was too busy coveting the pile of treats Harry had purchased to be paying much attention to anything. "You can have some, if you like. I just wanted to try a bit of everything, but I'll get sick if I eat it all."

Ron didn't wait to be told twice, and conversation quickly turned to chocolate frog cards and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. The toad that Mehen had smelled sat, ignored, on one of the seats. Just as Harry was nibbling the end off a pepper flavored bean, the door to the compartment opened again. This time to reveal a pale, nervous looking boy and a dark-skinned girl with big, curly hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Have you boys seen-" she started, only to be cut off by the boy's cheerful cry of "Trevor!"

"Well, I guess that answers that question," she stated as the boy dove for the toad. While he held it close to his chest, the worry melted away from his face and he collapsed onto the seat where Trevor had been. The girl sat down next to him and stuck out her hand, which Harry shook.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and that's Neville Longbottom. You are?"

"Harry, and this is Ron Weasley."

Hermione rattled on like the Hogwarts Express, unceasing in her chatter. Eventually she paused to ask, "So what houses do you think you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, they seem like the best."

"I'll be in Gryffindor," said Ron, "My whole family has been."

"I'll probably be in Hufflepuff, if they don't just send me home," moaned Neville.

"Well, my mum said there's no way you can know before the sorting," Harry replied diplomatically, "and that she will be proud of me no matter where I end up, as long as I make the best of it."

"Even Slytherin?" asked Ron incredulously, "I think I'd leave if I were sorted into Slytherin."

Harry gave Ron a dangerous look. "One of my mum's best friends was a Slytherin. She says it's a fine house. There's nothing wrong with ambition."

Ron sputtered. "But it's a Dark house!"

"Your abilities don't make you Dark or Light, your choices do." Harry echoed his mother's words from years earlier when she discovered his use of Parseltongue.

"But You-Know-Who was a Slytherin!"

"So was Merlin. What if I end up a Slytherin, would you stop being my friend?"

Ron thought hard for a moment before answering. "No. I quite like you, I think I'd want to stay your friend."

"Well, that's settled then."

Hermione, who clearly felt she'd been quiet for too long at this point, piped up again. "I think we're nearly there, you lot had better get changed." With that, she swept out of the compartment, robes billowing behind her, and Neville followed hurriedly. Ron and Harry, left alone again, pulled on their robes as the train slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade station.

Harry stepped off the train and looked around. The majority of the students were headed towards a group of carriages. Harry had expected them to appear horseless, based on his mum's stories, but to his surprise he could see the creatures that pulled them as they left the station one-by-one. Sleek black skin shone in the sun where it was pulled tightly over bones, and wide, scaly wings narrowly missed a few students' heads. Thestrals. Harry wondered how many of the other students even knew they were there. He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar, booming voice.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" called Hagrid. Harry joined the smaller crowd headed towards the edge of the lake and climbed into a boat with Ron. Soon, they were joined by Draco Malfoy, the blonde-haired boy from Madame Malkin's, and a girl with sleek black hair, a squished nose, and a similar air of importance. Both of the newcomers looked at Ron with disdain before turning to Harry.

"So, we meet again. This is Pansy Parkinson. Pansy, meet Harry Potter." Draco said as the boat began to move. He looked pleased to be the one who had met Harry first. Tentatively, Harry shook hands with both Pansy and Draco. Draco turned to look at Ron again. "You must be a Weasley. You know, Harry, someone with your fame and heritage could do better than to be friends with the sixth son in a family of paupers. I could help you, you know. Point out who's who, help you find the really important people to impress."

Harry grit his teeth. Draco rubbed him the wrong way, but he was not ready to burn any bridges in the wizarding world just yet. Delicately, he replied, "Ron has been kind to me, and I've enjoyed our conversations. I value that more than what he might give me. Besides, being friends with Ron doesn't stop me from getting to know other people, too. I'm not a bar of chocolate that can only be shared by a couple of people."

Draco looked put out at first, and then his face settled into a pleasant mask. It was clear that he had hoped to have a monopoly on Harry's time and social connections. Harry tensed as he waited for an answer. Finally, Draco nodded wordlessly and turned his attention to Pansy.

"What was that all about?" hissed Ron. "Do you know who he is? He's a Malfoy!"

"Yes, Ron. I met him with my Mum in Diagon Alley. I'm giving him a chance. He hasn't been any more annoying than that Hermione girl on the train."

Ron looked even more put out than Draco had, but conceded that Draco hadn't done anything wrong. _Yet_, he thought to himself, _and Harry will still have me around when he does._

The first years all ducked their heads as they went through a tunnel, and on the other side the castle stood out against the setting sun, a truly awe-inspiring sight. Conversations stilled, students disembarked from their boats, and the crowd of first years were led through the entrance hall into a small room to the side of the Great Hall. A severe looking woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun stepped in. Harry noted that everyone's movements seemed more dramatic in robes than in muggle clothes. All eyes were on her as she began a well-rehearsed speech.

"Good evening, first years. My name is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, head of Gryffindor house, and professor of Transfiguration. In a moment, you will enter the Great Hall to be sorted. The four houses, for those who don't know, are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each belongs to one of the founders and is made up of students who exemplify the traits the founders valued. While you are here at Hogwarts, you will sleep, eat, and attend classes with your house. They will be like your family. Your accomplishments throughout the year will earn points for your house. Any rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end-of-year feast, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. I hope that you will all be a credit to whichever house is lucky enough to have you. Right then, smarten up and follow me." Her strides out of the room were once again emphasized by her sweeping robes, and the first years followed nervously behind.

The Great Hall was more splendid than anything Harry could have imagined, and he had tried many times over the years. Harry's survey of the four house tables and the head table was interrupted by Professor McGonagall placing a stool at the front of the room and an old, wrinkled hat on top of it. This was the sorting? His mum had always refused to tell him how it was done, saying that it was Hogwarts' best-kept secret and even the children from old wizarding families wouldn't know. Just then, a seam on the hat opened up and it began to sing. Harry laughed quietly to himself. Hogwarts' best-kept secret was a talking hat. The hat's song detailed the four houses, but Harry didn't listen very closely. It wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. When the students in the Great Hall clapped politely, he joined them. Professor McGonagall then pulled a scroll out of her pocket and began reading names from a list.

"Abbot, Hannah!" "HUFFLEPUFF"

"Bones, Susan!" "HUFFLEPUFF"

Harry clapped politely for each of his classmates and did his best to remember their names.

"Boot, Terry!" "RAVENCLAW"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!" "RAVENCLAW"

Harry began to fidget impatiently as "Brown, Lavender" became a Gryffindor and "Bulstrode, Millicent" was sorted into Slytherin. Potter seemed so far away in the alphabet. He relaxed slightly as the next student was an F - "Finch-Fletchly, Justin" in Hufflepuff. Next up was "Granger, Hermione", the girl from the train.

"RAVENCLAW" called the hat, and she joined the table of blue and bronze.

Harry checked out slightly as names he didn't know were called. He could get to know them later, he rationalized. It wasn't as if anyone expected him to learn every first year's name right in this moment. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, he noticed, were both sorted into Slytherin. Wait, 'Parkinson' was close to 'Potter'. It was almost his turn. Harry expected to be nervous, but then remembered all the times his mum had said she would be proud no matter where he was sorted. He took a deep breath, just as McGonagall called his name.

The Great Hall went silent, and then whispers broke out. "Sure he'll be a Gryffindor like his parents." "Is it really him?" "They say his mum never left his side, but I don't see her!" Harry sat down on the stool, and the hat was dropped over his eyes.

_Hmm, you could be quite comfortable in just about any house. Standing up to others in the face of prejudice takes courage, and I see you've already been studying beyond the curriculum. You value kindness and loyalty, but you've learned to be very cunning out of necessity._

Already, the hat had been on his head longer than any other student's. Ah, there were the nerves that Harry was expecting. He could feel the eyes of the entire Great Hall on him as the hat whispered in his ear.

_Oh, my, that's a rare talent indeed, but you know that it doesn't decide your fate... Tell me, where do you think I should put you?_

"Somewhere I can be great, and make my mum proud." whispered Harry.

_Greatness, you say...Well, better be_ "SLYTHERIN!"

The silence that greeted Harry when the hat was removed from his head was deafening. Ron Weasley, still waiting to be sorted, was the first to break it. Once he started clapping, the Slytherin table caught on, followed by the rest of the room's occupants. Shocked whispers mixed in with the applause as Harry joined the sea of green and silver.

The rest of the sorting was comparatively uneventful. "Weasley, Ronald" was a Gryffindor like he had predicted, and the ordeal was finished when "Zabini, Blaise" became a Slytherin.

An aged man with a long white beard that could have only been Albus Dumbledore stood at the center of the Head Table, and the Great Hall grew quiet. Harry seethed, remembering his mother's fretting and complaints about the man and his failure to look out for the baby he dropped off in Surrey, despite his promises. The nonsense words the headmaster jovially listed did nothing to calm Harry, but a cold hand resting invisibly on his shoulder melted the tension in a second.

The feast was wonderful, but Harry couldn't have told you the conversation that took place if you had offered him all the riches in the world. He was simply too tired after a long day. The headmaster's warnings following the feast about the forbidden forest and a painful death on the third floor managed to stick in his brain a little better. Soon, he was following the Slytherin prefects to the dungeons. Stopped in front of a blank bit of wall, the prefect announced the password - boomslang skin - and a doorway appeared. Harry chuckled and stroked Mehen, who was wrapped around his shoulders. He shouldn't have any difficulty remembering the password, as long as he could find the right stretch of wall.

The prefects gave a short tour of the common room, bathrooms, and dorms before sending the first years to bed with instructions to meet in the common room before breakfast. The prefects would help them navigate the castle for the first week, while they got their bearings, but they were expected to be punctual.

In his bed with the curtains drawn, Lily materialized before Harry's eyes. They had time only for a whispered "I love you," and "I'm proud of you," before Harry dropped off to sleep.

A/N: The houses are straight out of canon, except Harry and Hermione of course. I made Harry a Slytherin because he never developed a prejudice against it while learning from Lily, and Hermione a Ravenclaw because Harry's defense of the four houses convinced her that Gryffindor wasn't necessarily 'the best' like she says it is in canon. It's a popular theory that she is a lion because she asked to be, so I thought I'd tweak that a bit and surround her with fellow bookworms. I didn't bother listing every student that J. K. does. If the other minor characters come up later, assume their canon houses.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The First Day

The second of September was a Monday, and found Harry along with the other Slytherin first years gathered in the common room at seven thirty sharp. Adrian Pucey, the sixth year girls' prefect, brought them up to breakfast. Harry paid close attention to the winding halls of the dungeons, but resigned himself to needing more repetitions before he would be able to navigate them on his own. Luckily, he had all week. Based on the mutterings of other first years, the other houses weren't so lucky.

"It's because Slytherins all stick together. We watch out for our own." said Blaise Zabini when Harry mentioned that fact.

"Don't the other houses look out for each other, too?"

"Well, yes, but not the same way as Slytherin. The other houses think they're better than us, and a lot of the professors are willing to believe that all Slytherins are Dark too, so if we don't look out for ourselves within our house no one else is going to do it for us."

"I've heard bad things about Slytherin from other students, but professors should be fair!"

"They should, but most of them went to Hogwarts too, so they learned the same rubbish about us when they went to school here. Professors Snape, Sinistra, and Vector were all Slytherins so you can count on them to back you up if you need it."

"How do you know?"

"Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin. And Slytherins put forward a united front, at least outside the common room. House rule." Harry was about to ask how he knew that, and if there were any other house rules since no one had told him this when Adrian stood up.

"Alright firsties, come with me to potions! Can't be late for your first class with our very own Head of House!" she called, and Harry was swept up in the crowd that followed her.

Harry had settled in next to Ron, since the Slytherins and Gryffindors shared Potions class, and the two were talking quietly about nothing when the door slammed, causing the whole class to jump. Professor Snape swept in, the billowing of his robes even more dramatic than was standard, with a severe look on his face. The class was silent as he called roll. When he reached Harry's name, he stopped.

"Ah yes. Harry Potter," he said, looking as if Harry's name tasted foul, "our new celebrity." Harry swallowed thickly, but said nothing. When he had finished calling roll, Professor Snape gave a short speech on the underappreciated art of potion making. He cut off when he saw Harry scribbling rapidly.

"Mr. Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry thought for a moment about what he'd read in his potions and herbology books. Both of those ingredients were sedatives. "Er, a sleeping potion of some sort?"

Snape narrowed his eyes. He didn't seem pleased that Harry had been able to come up with an answer. "The Draught of Living Death, to be specific. Where does a bezoar come from?"

Harry knew this one, too. He found himself very glad that he'd spent the month of August studying. "It comes from the stomach of a goat, sir."

Again, Snape looked unimpressed. He smiled cruelly. "And what, pray tell, is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

A trick question. That explained the smile. "They're the same thing, sir. I think it's also got another name, too sir."

Snape's smile faltered almost imperceptibly. Harry wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for a childhood spent watching his relatives' every reaction. "Yes, it's also called aconite," he begrudgingly admitted. His eyes flicked for a split second to Harry's green and silver tie. "Five points to Slytherin for bothering to crack a book before coming to class." His demeanor changed, became firmer but less dangerous overall. "The rest of you, unless you knew all of those answers, should be writing. This. Down." There was a flurry of quills and parchment as students hurried to comply. Without pause, Professor Snape set them to working on a boil cure potion.

Throughout the class, the professor took every opportunity to deride Harry's work. Harry tried not to let it get to him, but his eyes filled with unshed tears when Snape vanished his potion and gave him a failure for the day. A cold hand rested invisibly on his shoulder once again, and he relaxed. His mother's voice whispered in his ear, "Stay when the class leaves, Harry. I'll show you the way to your next lesson." Harry nodded once and went back to cleaning up his workstation.

When the period ended, Harry asked Blaise to give his excuses to the prefect. "I'll find my way, don't worry."

"Alright, just don't be late to Herbology. It's a fair distance away."

"I don't think this will take long," Harry replied nervously. The classroom was empty now, and he stood before Professor Snape's desk. The man was making notes on a piece of parchment, and didn't look up as Lily faded into view by her son's side.

"What is it, Potter? I'm busy."

Lily cleared her throat. "Severus." The professor's head snapped up when he heard her voice. When he laid eyes on her, the little color he had left his skin. His face was the most expressive anyone had seen it in years, betraying shock and anguish. "What's the matter, Severus? You look like you've seen a ghost." Lily's voice was saccharine sweet, the smile on her face mismatched to the fury in her eyes. "Singling out one student, a student in your own house no less, is below you Severus. Your treatment of Harry today was appalling. His potion was a damn sight better than several of the others, and you didn't fail any of them."

Professor Snape began to speak, but Lily cut him off. "You and James always brought out the worst in each other, Severus, but Harry is not his father. He isn't me, either. He is his own person, and he is one of your snakes, and you will treat him just like you treat the others in your house or so help me-"

"I'm sorry, Lily." Lily's fury was cut off by surprise. She hadn't honestly expected her childhood friend to apologize.

"I'm not the one you've done a disservice to, Severus."

Professor Snape's face took on a pinched look. Apologizing to students was not something he made a habit of, and he found it incredibly distasteful. But here was Lily, and as much as he hated James his childhood friend was right. "Potter. Harry. I'm sorry. And if you tell anyone I said that, you will regret it."

Lily raised her chin triumphantly. "Now, write Harry a note for Professor Sprout. He'll be late to Herbology. And do better in the future, Severus." Silently, the professor complied, and Harry and Lily left.

Harry looked up at his mum, getting his first good look at her since the train yesterday. "My Head of House was your childhood friend that you told me stories about?" he asked, incredulously. Lily smiled, lost in thought for a moment.

"I didn't know he would be here," was all she said, and she led the way to the greenhouses, fading out of sight at the door. Harry gave Professor Sprout his note, and took the empty seat next to Tracey Davis, another Slytherin first year.

Charms and Transfiguration passed without incident, though Professor McGonagall looked at him like she was lost. Halfway through the period, Harry realized she'd expected to have him in her house. During dinner, Harry received a note telling him to come to the Headmaster's office after the meal for a meeting. He asked one of the prefects if he wouldn't mind helping him find it, as the note did not give the location of said office.

"Of course Dumbledore would set you up to fail. Why does he need to see you, anyways?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't even lost any points so I can't be in trouble, can I?" It was a deflection. Harry knew exactly why the Headmaster needed to see him. It was so his mum could have a word with him. But Harry didn't feel the need to share that with Bletchley.

"A Slytherin can always be in trouble around here," he muttered darkly. His tone changed, became more amiable. "I'll take you to his office. I suppose I'll have to wait while you're meeting with him to help you get back to the dungeons, too, so try to be quick about it."

Harry and Lily waited in Dumbledore's office. Now that the confrontation had arrived, the righteous anger that had been building in Lily for the last decade rolled off her in waves. Even knowing it wasn't directed at him, Harry found himself unwilling to do anything besides look at the floor. Somehow, Dumbledore seemed unaffected when he walked in the room and sat behind his desk.

"Lemon drop, Harry? Lily, I'd offer you one as well, but-"

Lily cut off his ramblings. "Albus. Percival. Wulfric. Brian. Dumbledore." Her tone was murderous, her voice ground out between her teeth, jaw clenched so tightly it barely moved as she spoke. The headmaster seemed to realize, then, that this was not a social call. "The last time I saw you, Albus, was Halloween of 1981. Do you remember what promise I asked you to make that day? I asked you to promise to check on Harry. I didn't want him going to live with Petunia, but I conceded to your wishes on the one condition that you would be looking out for him! So tell me, Albus. Where. Have. You. Been?"

The aged headmaster needed a moment to find his voice. When he spoke, he sought to appease her. "Dear Lily. I promised Harry would be well monitored, and he was. I simply couldn't make the trip to Surrey, but I set up several monitoring wards connected to alerts right here in this office." He gestured to several of the strange instruments on his desk. "This one here would have alerted me to any use of magic outside the parameters of Harry's accidental magic. This one told me when he left the house and when he came back. This one here was keyed into the magic that forms the Dark Mark, as an extra precaution against Death Eaters. So, as you can see, while I was not there in person, I was looking out for young Harry every day." The twinkle in his eyes suggested that Dumbledore expected Lily to be satisfied with this answer. Unsurprisingly, she was not.

"Where, then, is the instrument that told you when Harry was locked in a cupboard? Where is the one that told you when my baby's cries were ignored late into the night? Where is the alert for when Harry wasn't fed, or changed? Which of these instruments, Albus, told you when Harry was struck? When he was denied human contact for days on end only to find it in the form of a punishment? When he was forced to take on heavy loads of chores far too dangerous for a young child, unsupervised for hours at a time? Which of your monitoring wards was set to those dangers?"

"Lily, surely you don't mean-"

"Albus, surely I do. When I told you why I didn't want Harry to go to my sister, did you honestly believe that Harry wouldn't need protection from any internal dangers in her house?"

"I see I was mistaken." Dumbledore's eyes no longer twinkled. His expression was solemn.

"Mistaken. That's putting it lightly, Albus. Harry will not be going back to my sister's house. You have the whole school year to find him other arrangements, Albus. See that it is done."

"Lily, the blood protection is still the safest-"

"The blood protection didn't do anything for him for the last ten years, Albus. Find other arrangements." Lily's tone left no room for arguments.

"It will be done. I am sorry Lily, and I am sorry Harry. It seems I have failed you."

"I expect updates on your search for a new home for Harry, Albus. I will not let you sweep this aside."

"Of course, Lily."

Lily's expression did not soften, but she took on an air of satisfaction. As the headmaster was preparing to dismiss the Potters, she remembered her conversation with Hagrid.

"Albus. I am not the only Order member that you failed."

"I'm sorry?"

"Sirius needs a trial, Albus."

"My dear Lily, he killed thirteen people. I know you were unaware of the news at the time, but surely you agree that he belongs where he is, in Azkaban?"

"Albus. He was accused of killing those people. From what I've heard, there was very little evidence to support that accusation. Furthermore, the circumstances led people to believe that it was Sirius who betrayed us, but I'm sure you recall that it was Peter Pettigrew who was our Secret Keeper? And yet, Peter accused Sirius of causing our deaths in the moment before the explosion. Curious, wouldn't you say, Albus?" Albus Dumbledore looked as if he had never considered that detail. "I have had a lot of time to think over the last decade, Albus, and I am entirely certain that Peter was the spy in the Order. Knowing that, and knowing Sirius' character, I find it very easy to believe he was framed. Get him a trial, Albus. I know you have the political standing to do it."

Albus' expression was grave as he considered her words. "Yes, I daresay it's time he stood trial."

"It is long past time, Albus. Make it soon."

Harry made some vague comments about 'something from home' when Bletchley asked about his meeting with the Headmaster on the way back to the dungeons. Bletchley chose not to press the issue, and they walked in silence. Back in the Slytherin common room, Harry studied with a group of his yearmates until it was time for bed. Again, exhaustion overtook him before he got a chance to speak privately with his mum.

A/N: A note on the Dark vs Light thing I've brought up a couple of times. I am very much in favor of the idea that Dark isn't always bad and Light isn't always good, and the two can mix and act like a spectrum. HOWEVER. Complex moral reasoning and the implications of intent and all that go a little over the heads of eleven-year-olds. My hope is that I'll be able to broaden Harry's horizons in later books, but for now the idea of Dark magic scares him and he wants nothing to do with it.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." was one of the first lines of this fic that I came up with and I hope you all love it as much as I do.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Tea with Hagrid

By the end of Harry's first week at Hogwarts, he had settled into a routine. He was learning his way around the castle faster than he would have expected. (It helped that if he got lost anywhere outside the dungeons, his Mum could show him the way.) He had even gotten used to seeing a rush of owls flying overhead during meals. That Saturday morning was the first time Harry received anything from the post owls, however. The scruffy brown school owl dropped off a single scrap of parchment, stole a piece of Harry's bacon, and took off again. It was a note from Hagrid.

_Harry,_

_Come for a cuppa at my hut this afternoon? I want to hear about your classes and how you're settling in. 3 o'clock?_

_Hagrid_

Harry looked up at the head table, and caught Hagrid's eye. He held up the note and nodded. Harry smiled happily when he saw the half-giant's face light up in recognition.

Lily materialized next to Harry as he knocked on the door to the groundskeeper's hut. Loud barking came from within, followed by a familiar voice yelling "Back, Fang! Back!" Once he apparently had the large dog controlled, the door opened to reveal Hagrid's grinning face. "Come on in, then. Make yerself at home." Harry and Lily stepped into the hut. Two large mugs sat waiting on the table, a kettle heating on the fire in the corner. Harry sat himself in a chair so high he almost had to climb into it, while his mum settled into the one next to him much more easily.

Once the tea was poured and Hagrid was seated, Harry spent some time telling the two about his first classes. Lily had been there for them, of course, but Harry had been so tired each night that she hadn't had a chance to hear his opinions about them.

Most of his opinions on the classes were unsurprising. Essentially every student found Binns' history lectures lacking, transfiguration difficult but rewarding, and the first herbology lectures tedious. Lily was proud to interject that Harry seemed to have inherited her natural talent for charm work. Hagrid listened intently when Harry told him about Professor Snape's turnaround in the face of an irate Lily. With the potions master treating him as he did the rest of the Slytherins, the class had the potential to be Harry's best.

Finally, they came to defense against the dark arts. Harry had been disappointed by that class. Professor Quirrell, in addition to having a deep-seated fear of basically everything and a significant stutter, seemed reluctant to teach the class any practical work. Oddly enough the same wasn't true for his Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class, according to Hermione. While her class had been able to practice simple spells like the disarming spell right away, the Slytherin/Gryffindor class that Harry and Ron shared had learned pure theory until their Friday lesson. The nervous glances that Professor Quirrell sent to the Slytherin side of the room suggested to Harry that he might buy into house prejudices. Hermione had been outraged that he would allow students' education to suffer over a matter so simple when Harry had suggested this theory to her.

Harry's stories exhausted, Lily turned the conversation to the results of her meeting with the headmaster - and her thanks to Hagrid for helping to arrange it - as well as more detailed catching up on the ten years of wizarding history she had missed. While they spoke, Harry turned his attention to Hagrid's copy of The Daily Prophet, which was lying on the table. _**Break In at Gringotts!**_ the front page article read. Harry looked it over in shock, having believed Gringotts to be impenetrable. The article appeared to be fairly sensationalized, but Harry was able to pick out a couple of facts. Specifically, that thieves had managed to break in and escape but that the vault they had targeted had been emptied the same day, and that this had happened on 31 July. Harry's birthday, and the day that both he and Hagrid had had business at the wizarding bank.

"Hagrid," interjected Harry when the conversation between the adults came to a lull, "Do you think that the break in could have been happening while we were at the bank?" His voice trembled as he spoke.

"No, 'course not! It couldna bin 'til later. That vault wasn' empty 'til-" Hagrid cut off, realizing he was about to say something he shouldn't. Unluckily for him, Harry was adept at reading between the lines.

"Hagrid, were you the one that emptied the vault?"

"Now wha' would give yeh that idea?" Hagrid replied nervously. "Emptyin' a vault...Nowhere's safer 'n Gringotts, 'cept maybe Hogwarts."

A disapproving look from Lily caused Harry to drop the line of questioning. Still, Harry was reasonably certain after Hagrid's flimsy attempt at covering his tracks that he had in fact emptied the vault in question, and that whatever had been in it was now in the castle. His mind went to the forbidden corridor on the third floor, which he knew from the older students had been unremarkable last year. Likely the two were connected. Harry wasn't sure what he would do with this information, but it was information all the same and as a Slytherin he knew it was valuable. In the awkward silence that followed, Harry finished his tea and the Potters said their goodbyes to Hagrid.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Interlude of Sorts

Talking with Hagrid about the past had gotten Lily thinking about Remus again, and the following day she suggested to Harry that he write him a letter.

"I think, now that you've got access to owls, your Uncle Moony would love to hear from you."

Harry thought for a moment. "Yeah, okay. I think I'd like to properly meet him, after hearing all the stories you told me. As long as you think he won't mind that I'm in Slytherin..."

Lily sighed. "Remus was always the most level-headed of the Marauders. He might be surprised, but he'll be reasonable about it. And if we've got him on your side before Sirius gets out of prison, even better."

Harry nodded and settled down at his desk to write the letter.

_Dear Uncle Moony,_

_This is Harry. I'm not sure if you know or not, but Mum's ghost has been with me since I was a baby. She has told me a lot of stories about you and the Marauders. I'd like to meet you, if you want to. A lot happens in ten years, and I don't want to put most of my childhood in a letter. Plus, I think Mum would like to see you too._

_Mum says to tell you that she never thought you were the traitor in the Order, but that it wasn't Sirius either. It's probably best to hear most of it in person, but Padfoot will be getting a trial soon. Mum had words with Headmaster Dumbledore about it. It was a little scary._

_Hagrid says you've been traveling since the end of the war. I hope you agree to come visit, and I can hear stories in person. It sounds really cool. If you don't want to visit, that's okay too. I haven't actually asked any of the professors if you could come, but Mum says the headmaster would agree to it. _

_Best wishes,_

_Harry Potter_

_P.S. I'm in Slytherin. Mum says she's proud of me still, and says you'll be okay with it. I hope she's right._

Harry almost scratched out the last line he wrote, but decided that if his Mum was wrong about Remus he'd rather find out right away. He rolled the parchment up and addressed it. As he was about to leave for the owlery, he decided to send a quick note off to The Daily Prophet to get his own subscription. Seeing Hagrid's copy made him realize he was missing out on valuable information by not getting the paper, even if he knew that its information was sometimes questionable from his Mum's accounts. Before long, two plain school owls were off with his letters. Harry spent the rest of the day finishing homework and talking with Zabini in the common room.

Classes the following week were fairly uneventful. Harry almost wished something would go wrong in one of them; it would distract him from the anxiety that had been gripping his chest ever since he sent the letter to Remus. Each day that passed without a reply only served to make him more nervous. He hoped that, if his Mum was wrong and Remus couldn't accept him as a Slytherin, that he would at least write to say so.

Harry's Daily Prophet subscription started right away, and each time there was an article about the Gringott's break-in, Harry carefully filed the information away. At Lily's urging, Harry also watched closely for any news of Sirius' trial. She was unsure if the Headmaster would think to inform them when there was progress made on the matter.

Wednesday of that week brought the first flying lesson for Slytherin and Gryffindor. Neville was injured, and Harry volunteered to take him to the hospital wing. Harry heard later that he'd missed a confrontation between Ron and Draco Malfoy. Harry was glad he hadn't been there. He didn't want to have to publicly choose between his friend from the train and his housemate. That was a quick way to make enemies.

Thursday morning's post finally brought a response from Remus. Nervously, Harry broke the seal and opened the letter. He kept his face schooled in his best Slytherin mask as he read, Lily hovering visibly over his shoulder in support.

_Harry,_

_My apologies for taking so long to get back to you. I have to say I was surprised to get your letter. I spoke with the Headmaster, and he's agreed that I can visit this weekend to meet you and catch up. I'll get a room in Hogsmeade for the weekend and be at the school for lunch on Saturday, then we can spend the afternoon together. I'm not sure what it is you can't tell me in a letter, but I suppose I will find out soon enough. I look forward to seeing you, Pup. Also, your Mum was right. You being in Slytherin makes me curious, but it doesn't make me want to get to know you any less._

_Lily,_

_I look forward to hearing more about this business with Sirius and the Order this weekend. It means a lot that you didn't think I betrayed everyone._

_Best wishes to you both,_

_Remus Lupin_

Harry smiled to himself and tucked the letter into his bag before turning to the day's paper. He snorted when he saw the front page. It seemed that the post was bringing him what he had been waiting for twice over this morning. Sirius Black's mugshot took up a large portion of the space. The way he laughed in the photo, Harry had to admit that he did look a bit insane.

_**Sirius Black, Accused of Mass Murder, To Stand Trial**__ by Rita Skeeter_

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has recently begun calling for a trial for mass murderer Sirius Black. Black has been in Azkaban since he was arrested at the scene of an explosion which killed a wizard and twelve muggles just after the downfall of You-Know-Who in 1981. Readers may recall reports that Black was laughing as the Aurors arrested him, showing no apparent remorse for the deceased. He was taken straight to the prison as a part of an expedited wartime process for the most dangerous of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters. Headmaster Dumbledore has cited new information brought to light as the purpose for this seemingly random request, but has refused to tell what this information is until the trial itself, which is set for November 1st. _

_Black's arrest came as no surprise to much of the Wizarding World, as the family was notorious for their support of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. One of the most unstable and dangerous Death Eaters arrested was, in fact, his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black. Many in the Wizengamot question the gravity and source of Dumbledore's new information, especially those who remember how unstable Black was at the time of his arrest, but our esteemed Headmaster insists on its importance. This reporter wonders if perhaps he's gone senile? We shall see when the Wizengamot meets this November._

_Before the trial, Black will have monitored appointments with a licensed mind healer to ensure he is able to respond appropriately to questioning._

Harry didn't know what to think of the article. It was clear that Skeeter thought the trial was a waste of time, but he supposed it wasn't her opinion that mattered. It wasn't even the opinion of the people who would read the paper that mattered, it was the Wizengamot. Lily assured him that veritaserum, the most powerful truth potion in existence, would be used during the trial and that things would work out. Harry nodded to her input, put away the paper, and tried his best to sort out his thoughts on his way to class. The anxiety that had followed him for days eased as he did, and classes passed smoothly through the rest of the week.

Saturday morning, Harry was practically vibrating with anticipation as he showered and dressed. He tried to spend the morning with the other Slytherins in the common room, but they seemed to sense his state of unrest and avoided him. An hour before lunch, Harry decided to explore the castle instead.

Wandering aimlessly, Harry soon found himself lost. He'd been so deep in his thoughts, he'd lost track of where he was walking. He found himself in front of a locked door. On the other side, he could hear heavy breathing. That was odd, Harry decided.

"Mum? Where are we?"

Lily hummed thoughtfully. "Third floor corridor, right-hand side."

Harry's breath caught in his throat when he connected the dots. "The forbidden corridor? The painful death one?"

Lily only hummed in response.

"Well, we should go then." Harry watched his mum's expression carefully. "Right?"

"Stay right here. I want to see what's on the other side of the door. I can't die after all, and it doesn't seem right to me that something deadly should be in the school like this." Without waiting for Harry to answer, Lily drifted through the locked door before them. She was gone only a couple of minutes before she glided back through the wall again. Her voice shook slightly when she spoke. "There's a Cerberus in there, guarding a trap door. There's Devil's Snare under the trap door, but I couldn't go any farther than that because of our tether. I don't like this."

Harry started walking away from the door as they spoke, eager to get away from what his mother described. "I think it's guarding whatever was almost stolen from Gringott's. But why would it be here?"

Once again, Lily only hummed in response.

At lunch, the Great Hall buzzed with rumors and questions about the guest that joined Dumbledore at the head table. Remus Lupin's eyes scanned the Slytherin table until he spotted Harry. He knew it had to be him, the spitting image of James. He caught his gaze, recognized Lily's emerald eyes, and smiled warmly before returning to his food. Harry smiled back. The other Slytherins questioned him about the stranger, but he would only say he was "an old family friend". Zabini watched him closely.

"You knew he was coming today. That's why you were so jittery this morning."

Harry inclined his head in something resembling a nod, and became very interested in the shepherd's pie he'd been eating. He knew he didn't need to hide this sort of information from the other Slytherins, as there was very little value in it, but he liked the idea of having this to himself.

When Remus finished eating, he caught Harry's eye again before bidding Albus goodbye and standing to leave. Harry quickly did the same with the other first year Slytherins. In the corridor just past the doors Harry and Remus met and Lily faded into view once more.

A/N: Fun fact, according to the HP wikia, I share a birthday with Quirrell! Just a fun little tidbit I noticed while doing research for this fic.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Meeting Remus

Remus thanked Merlin that the weather was pleasant that day. If Harry had been a Gryffindor, Remus would have been welcome in the common room as a former member of the house. The same was not true of Slytherin, and so the only places they could meet and talk freely were outdoors. They ended up at the shores of the Black Lake, beneath a shade tree. Lily was the first to speak.

"Some sort of privacy charm may be in order, Remus." Remus looked at her in confusion. "Not everything we are going to discuss is going to be pleasant, and Harry would not want things he couldn't say in a letter to be spread around the castle."

Remus nodded his acquiescence and cast a muffliato. "So, Harry's childhood, my travels, your thoughts on the traitor in the Order. Where should we start?"

"I think you want to hear about Sirius first," said Harry. "You sounded most anxious about that, and you and him were together, right? So it makes sense that you'd want to know about him."

Remus was surprised that Harry could read him that well as a stranger, but assumed that he'd understand more as he got to know the boy. He nodded in response and turned to Lily to hear what she had to say on the topic.

"First of all, it would have been impossible for Sirius to have betrayed James and I," she began, "because he wasn't our Secret Keeper."

Remus' brow furrowed. "He was the one who gave me the Secret, I don't understand."

Lily sighed sadly. "I never believed you were the traitor, Remus, but James wasn't sure. He made Sirius the Secret Keeper long enough for him to give you the Secret, then changed it to Peter. The four of us and Albus were the only ones who knew about the switch." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I didn't want to keep it from you, but James insisted and he was my husband. In the end I conceded to him and I wish that I hadn't."

Remus' changing emotions were plain on his face as Lily spoke. Hurt, shock, confusion, anger, contemplation, and acceptance. "So it was Peter who sold you out to You-Know-Who."

"Yes. After he heard about our deaths, Sirius came to Godric's Hollow to collect Harry but Dumbledore sent him away because he wanted Harry to be raised away from the aftermath of the war. From what I understand, Sirius then went to track down Peter to make him answer for what he'd done."

"Peter accused him of betraying you before the explosion-"

"Which is what makes me think he framed Sirius. I believe he caused the explosion that killed those people, hoping that his accusations would be believed with Albus being the only person left alive who knew the truth about him being the Secret Keeper."

"But why wouldn't Albus have spoken up for Sirius, if he knew?"

"He told me he never considered the implications of Peter's last words."

"If he had thought about it, this could have come out so much sooner. Sirius has been sitting in Azkaban, probably an innocent man, for so long..." The anguish was plain on Remus' face as he spoke. Lily could see him falling into all-too-familiar self-blame.

"You didn't know, Remus. And you were grieving, and it was a horrible time. I'm angry and upset about his fate, too, but we're doing what we can to fix it."

Determination settled over Remus' features and he nodded tightly, then paused. "So, where did Albus send Harry?"

Rage briefly radiated off of Lily the way it had in the Headmaster's office. "Petunia." she spat out. "He won't be going back."

Remus' eyes flashed amber. "Your wills said-"

"I know." Lily's expression was hard and unforgiving.

Remus turned to Harry then, who was watching warily from a few feet away. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Are you okay, Pup?"

"More or less," Harry replied. "It's over now."

Cautiously, Remus asked, "What did they do to you?"

"Locked me in a cupboard and ignored me. Forced me to work all day. Called me names. Beat me. Starved me. Isolated me." Harry took a shaky breath. "Punished me for accidental magic, and tried to keep me from coming to Hogwarts."

Remus' face crumpled. "Oh, Pup, if I had known..."

"You didn't, though. It's okay that you didn't. And I had Mum, so at least I had someone who loved me and told me the truth about things. And I'm not going back."

Lily, having calmed herself slightly, spoke again. "Albus had wards on the property to tell him about external threats to Harry's safety, but he didn't think to monitor what was going on inside the house. He's admitted that that was a mistake, and promised to find new guardians for Harry by summer."

The trio took that as a natural end to the unpleasant conversations, and Remus told his stories of his travels. He'd gotten masteries in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts from Masters all over Europe, then traveled to every continent save Antarctica doing research and applying his skills. At first he seemed to be carefully editing his stories, until Lily told him that Harry knew he was a werewolf and he could stop skirting around the fact. He then relaxed and launched into stories of time he had spent with various werewolf packs, and the effects on his life that the invention of the Wolfsbane potion had had. As Remus spoke, Harry slowly inched closer and closer to the man he had once called Uncle Moony. By dinner, they sat so closely in the grass that their knees touched. When it was time to go, Harry didn't seem to want to part from the man.

"Can I keep writing to you, Moony?"

Remus' heart melted to hear the old nickname and he smiled warmly. "Of course you can, Pup. I'd love it." A pause. "Can I give you a hug?"

Harry bit his lip and hesitated, then threw himself at Remus almost hard enough to knock the werewolf over. They clung to each other tightly while Lily watched, a wistful expression on her face. When they drew back, there were tears in Harry's eyes.

"Th-that was my first..."

Remus pulled Harry in for his second hug then, unable to resist. Harry eagerly accepted the affection. As much as his Mum loved him and helped him, she hadn't been able to give him this physical comfort and Harry hadn't realized how sorely he wanted it. After several long moments, the two parted with promises of letters and future visits.

Harry stopped off at a bathroom on his way to the Great Hall to clean up his face before joining the rest of the Slytherins for dinner, mask firmly in place.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Settling in with the Snakes

It was near the end of September, and Harry was lonely. It was odd to him, since he had never been allowed friends growing up, that he would crave them now. Likely, being away from the Dursley's influence and forming a connection with Remus had renewed his need for companionship. He still sat with Ron and occasionally Neville in classes that he shared with Gryffindor, but being in separate houses had kept them from getting very close. Harry's own distractions had kept him from forming friendships with his fellow Slytherins, and he realized that would need to change.

This new resolve to make connections with his housemates found Harry in the common room on a Sunday with a stack of his homework. He had until now been working at his desk in the dorm room, but he knew most of his yearmates worked together in the sitting area. Malfoy, Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle formed one group. In another area Zabini, Nott, and Greengrass were together. The choice was fairly easy for Harry. While he had refused to antagonize Malfoy he didn't particularly like the blonde, and he had had a few conversations with Zabini that had been friendly enough. Harry approached the first group.

"Hi. Mind if I join you?"

The three Slytherins exchanged glances, then Zabini nodded. "We're working on Charms. Have you had any luck with the unlocking charm?"

Harry had, thanks to his Mum's help. She had been excellent at Charms, and had given him tips and explained the theory. He demonstrated his knowledge, then passed on his Mum's teachings where they were needed. Once each of the Slytherins in the group had successfully performed the charm, they moved on to Transfiguration. Harry was thrilled, since he was completely lost and his Mum had told him firmly that any skill he might have in that class would have come from his father.

After a couple of hours, they set aside their homework for the night. Zabini and Nott started a game of chess. Harry tried to follow, but didn't know the rules well enough. Another day, when his mind wasn't so exhausted, he would have to learn. Chess was a common pastime in the Slytherin common room. Greengrass eyed Harry, outwardly sizing him up. Finally, she asked, "Why haven't you talked to any of us before now?"

Harry hadn't been expecting that question, as much as he should have been. He knew he would question anyone who tried to approach him, and his housemates were supposed to be similar to him. "I, er, didn't really think of it, honestly?" Harry paused, unsure of how much he wanted to share with a near stranger, but she looked unconvinced and he knew he would have to make some concessions if he wanted to find any friends, so he continued. "I grew up kind of isolated. It took me a few weeks to realize that here at Hogwarts I'd like to, you know, not be alone?"

Greengrass narrowed her eyes, staring at him like she could read his soul on his face. Harry knew she couldn't, he was too good at hiding his discomfort after years of practice, but she tried all the same. Eventually, she nodded her head in silent acceptance and started a conversation about the merits of various sweets. Her favorites were ice mice and licorice whips, while Harry argued in favor of chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans. Both agreed that blood pops and cockroach clusters were vile.

Harry continued to seek out this group of his yearmates in the common room, during classes, and at mealtimes. The four were occasionally joined by Millicent Bulstrode, as well. By the end of the week Harry was on a first-name basis with all four of his new acquaintances, and Daphne had started to teach him to play Wizard's Chess. He was dreadful at it, but she insisted that his biggest problem was needing to be a more confident leader so that the pieces would trust him. She also said it would help if he got his own set, ("They get to know you and learn your strategies.") so he put in an owl order for one.

Time passed, and Harry's relationships with the other Slytherins deepened through favor trading, poorly thought out dares, study groups, and secrets shared in confidence. While Blaise, Millie, and Daphne were all fairly open about their childhoods, Harry remained quiet about his and noticed that Theo did the same. The others probably recognized their silence as well, but they respected it. Before Harry knew it, it was Halloween.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Halloween 1991

Halloween had always been a difficult day for Harry, knowing that it was the day his parents died and his life was changed forever. It didn't help, either, that while living with the Dursleys he had been left out of the fun parts of the holiday while his aunt and uncle fussed over Dudley.

The Slytherins all gave Harry his space on Halloween, even Malfoy and his group. Daphne had explained to him the day before that traditional pureblood families saw the day as one to remember departed loved ones. While Harry's history wasn't talked about much in the dungeons, everyone knew it and they all knew about Lily's presence in Harry's life, and even the most antagonistic of his housemates wouldn't begrudge him a somber Halloween.

Lily did not fade into the background so much on this day as she normally would. It was a Thursday so she stayed out of the way in his classes, but while he walked the halls and attended meals she was visibly by his side and they talked quietly about nothing in particular. Remus was allowed to visit after classes. He came straight from the Potters' graves, and joined in Harry and Lily's quiet contemplation until dinner.

Harry would have liked to remain in the dungeons during the feast, but it turned out for the better that he didn't. Shortly into the meal, Professor Quirrell burst in exclaiming about a troll, and it sounded to Harry like he might have run into it if he were wandering. The Headmaster sent the students on to their common rooms. The Slytherin prefects made the executive decision to remain in the Great Hall, rather than going straight towards where the troll was reported to be.

(On the other side of the hall, Padma Patil informed her prefects that Hermione Granger wasn't at the feast after an incident in Charms, and Professor Flitwick was sent to collect her. The next day stories would be told of the diminutive man facing off against the troll single-handedly, as it had apparently left the dungeons. Hermione Granger was unharmed.)

Once the excitement from the feast had died down, Blaise and Theo invited Harry to join in a small remembrance ceremony in the Slytherin common room. The prefects helped the younger students as each Slytherin who had lost loved ones lit conjured candles and spelled them to float near the ceiling like in the Great Hall. Harry lit one for his father. He looked solemnly at his mum before refusing a second candle. He had other ways of remembering her. She smiled sadly at him as he sat with his friends. The air grew heavy around them as the small candles burned down, and remained so when the common room was dark once more and the students got ready for bed.

A/N: A short chapter, but I think the simplicity of it conveys Harry's mood better than a flowery, detailed one would.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Trial

Lost in their grief, Harry and Lily had almost managed to forget about the trial set for November 1st. Sirius' trial.

Harry rose early that morning, and dressed in dark green robes he had purchased in Diagon Alley for non-uniform days. Lily was to testify at the trial, which meant that Harry would be going too. As he cleaned his teeth and struggled with his hair, his heart pounded in his chest. Today, he would meet his godfather.

Would he go free after today? If the trial went well, Sirius could eventually be his new guardian. Even if he focused on a positive outcome for the trial, there were still so many unknowns. How would Sirius be different from the stories his mum told about Padfoot after a decade surrounded by dementors? Would he be able to accept a Slytherin godson? Harry gripped the edge of the sink, wondering what he would do if he were rejected. He knew Dumbledore would still look for a new home for him, but he longed for the person who could be another connection to his lost family. A cold hand on his shoulder shocked Harry back to the present, and he went alone to breakfast.

Headmaster Dumbledore met Harry and Lily at the gates to the school dressed in his Wizengamot robes and produced an empty bottle from his no doubt expanded pockets. "This is our portkey to the Ministry, Harry. Are you familiar with them?" Harry nodded, and grabbed the neck of the bottle. Lily smirked as Dumbledore spoke the activation word, "Mauraders", and they were pulled through space to the Ministry Atrium.

Dumbledore did not slow down to allow Harry to take in the Fountain of Magical Brethren, or any of the other sights in this new place. They registered his wand at the visitor's desk, then proceeded to the lifts. They stayed there among the floating memos until the woman's voice announced "Department of Mysteries", after which Harry followed Dumbledore down a set of stairs to the courtrooms. A single chair with chains was set in a pit in the center of the room, surrounded by rows of raised benches. The full Wizengamot was gathering in the central seats, with the left and right spaces available for witnesses, press, and other observers. As the headmaster joined his fellows, Harry took a seat next to Remus.

"Hey Pup. Hello Lily."

"Hi Remus," Harry replied.

They sat silently, neither knowing what to say. Shortly after, a young man with long black hair and grey eyes who Harry thought resembled the picture of Sirius in the Prophet sat down next to Remus without a word. They must be family of some sort, Harry thought, but he also knew from his mum that Sirius was estranged from his family. Perhaps they only sent someone because this was a legal matter? Harry noticed Remus' shoulders tense and his mum shoot alarmed looks at the man, but they didn't explain anything to him and Harry didn't ask.

When the full Wizengamot had assembled, Dumbledore called the trial to order as the Chief Warlock, and Sirius was led in by two aurors. When he sat in the chair in the center of the room, the chains bound him immediately. He didn't struggle. Harry looked between Sirius and the mysterious man, and confirmed that they had to be related. He also noticed that Sirius looked significantly better than his picture had in the paper a month ago. His hair was clean and combed and his cheeks had begun to fill out, but most importantly his eyes looked saner. Remus, who appeared to have been making the same notes, nodded once in satisfaction. Cameras flashed from the press section of the room.

A representative from the Wizengamot stood, and read from a scroll. "Sirius Black stands accused today of Death Eater activities, including delivering the Potter family to You-Know-Who on 31st October 1981, as well as the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles on 1st November 1981 and violation of the International Statute of Secrecy on 1st November 1981. How do you plead?"

Sirius answered, "Not guilty." in a voice rough from disuse, and Lily was called as the first witness. She floated down into the pit and landed next to Sirius, who looked at her with a mixture of grief and awe.

"State your name, please."

"Lily Jane Potter, nee Evans."

"Relationship to the accused?"

"Sirius was a close friend of my husband and is godfather to my child, Harry James Potter."

"Tell the Wizengamot about the relevant events leading up to your- the events of Halloween 1981."

Lily noticed his self-correction and smiled blandly. "Leading up to my murder? Certainly. My husband, James Potter, and myself chose to go into hiding during the summer of 1981 due to threats against our infant son, Harry. We used a Fidelius charm. Initially we had planned to choose Sirius Black as our Secret-Keeper, but James and Sirius worried about a traitor among our close associates giving us away if we chose someone so obvious. Together they decided to make the Secret-Keeper Peter Pettigrew instead, and to tell no one about the switch. I was hesitant about this plan, but I was outvoted. On the 31st of October that year, my family was ambushed in our home with the Fidelius charm still intact. This is only possible if our Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, had betrayed us to Voldemort."

The questioner, along with almost every person in the room, flinched at the name. "Did you ever see evidence of Black serving You-Know-Who?"

"No."

"Did you see Black at any point on 31st October?"

"After my death and the subsequent anchoring of my spirit to my son, Sirius Black arrived at the house. He is Harry's godfather and intended to collect him and take custody of him according to my and James' wills. He was sent away without Harry, as Albus Dumbledore had made plans for him to live- elsewhere." The pain in Lily's voice was clear as she spoke the last word.

"That will be all, witness dismissed." Lily returned to the empty space at her son's side, and a woman in the maroon robes worn by aurors took her place.

"Next witness, state your name."

"Auror Tamsin Jigger."

"Relationship to the accused?"

"Arresting officer."

"Please describe the scene you were called to on 1st November 1981."

"Certainly. Aurors were called that day because an argument had escalated to wands drawn on a Muggle street and the situation was judged potentially dangerous. Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were facing off, both with wands drawn. Just after aurors arrived on the scene Pettigrew accused Black of causing the deaths of James and Lily Potter. Immediately after the accusation was made, there was an explosion. Sirius Black was arrested. Twelve muggle bodies were found in the aftermath of the explosion, along with the finger of Peter Pettigrew." Here, the auror hesistated. "In preparation for this trial, I examined the memory of this incident closely in a pensieve. I feel I have to say, I didn't actually see Black cast a spell in the moments before the explosion."

"Thank you Auror Jigger, dismissed." The auror returned to the benches. "Are there any other witnesses before the interrogation of the accused?" The black haired man next to Remus stood up and proceeded to stand next to Sirius. Side-by-side, their resemblance was undeniable.

"State your name."

"Regulus Arcturus Black."

"Relationship to the accused?"

"He is my older brother."

"State your case."

"On 7th November 1981, I was tried as a Death Eater and found innocent on grounds that I acted as a spy for the Ministry and provided information to the DMLE from the beginning of my time with You-Know-Who." Sirius looked startled at this revelation, as did Remus and Lily. "Since then, I have testified in every Death Eater trial. It is in this capacity that I say that I saw no evidence that my brother was a Death Eater. He was never at a meeting, and fought against the Death Eaters in several raids both as an Auror and as a civilian. On more than one occasion I personally crossed wands with my brother in order to maintain my cover. Even with our blood connection, he stunned and bound me and brought me to the Ministry, where I was released due to my spy status."

Regulus did not wait to be dismissed before returning to the seat next to Remus, who gave him a searching look as he sat down. Before he could say anything, the questioner announced the interrogation of the accused. A healer in lime green St. Mungo's robes came forward with a small vial.

"This is veritaserum. Do you know what it does?" he asked Sirius directly.

"It is a truth potion."

"Do you consent to take veritaserum for your interrogation?"

"Yes." Sirius then opened his mouth, and the healer dropped three drops of the clear potion onto his tongue. Almost immediately, Sirius' eyes became distant and the questioner began the test questions.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black," he said without inflection.

"When were you born?"

"3rd November 1959."

"Were you the Secret-Keeper for the fidelius charm protecting the Potters?"

"No."

"Did you give You-Know-Who information about the Potter family's measures going into hiding?"

"No."

"Were you ever a Death Eater?"

"No."

"Did you ever associate with Death Eaters during the war?"

"No."

"The Black family is known for its support of You-Know-Who. What of your family?"

"I was estranged from my family in 1975, before any of them publicly supported Voldemort."

"Did you duel with Peter Pettigrew on 1st November 1981?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I was angry that he betrayed our friends."

"Did you cast the spell that killed him?"

"No."

"Did you cast the spell that killed the twelve muggle onlookers?"

"No."

"Healer, administer the antidote." The healer stepped forward again, gave Sirius another potion, and the light returned to his eyes. "The Wizengamot will now vote."

Moments later, the questioner spoke again. "On the charge of Death Eater activities, Sirius Black is found unanimously innocent. On the charge of the murders of Peter Pettigrew and the twelve muggles, Sirius Black is found innocent by the majority. On the count of breaking the International Statute of Secrecy, Sirius Black is found guilty by the majority. The punishment for this breach is to be one year in Azkaban, applied retroactively to the years Mr. Black has already unjustly served."

The friends of Sirius all tensed at the word 'guilty', then relaxed once the punishment was retroactively applied.

"As reparations for the unjust confinement of Mr. Black to Azkaban prison for nine years, Mr. Black will be paid a sum of 16,000 galleons - the estimated wages lost based on his previous career as an Auror - and all of Mr. Black's medical care related to his confinement will be provided at the cost of the Ministry. Additionally all assets seized from Mr. Black, including but not limited to Gringotts vaults, titles, properties, and his wand will be returned to him within forty-eight hours. This hearing of the Wizengamot is now adjourned."

The chains dropped from Sirius' arms and he stood up almost immediately, looking at the chair with disgust. Cameras flashed wildly once again. The members of the Wizengamot left immediately, save Albus Dumbledore, and the others in the room soon followed. Remus, Dumbledore, Regulus, Harry, and Lily cautiously joined Sirius on the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Reunited

Sirius looked at the people around him once they were in the Ministry Atrium. He was bursting with things to say to each of them. "I don't know where to start," he admitted. His voice was rough not with disuse, now, but with emotion.

"Reggie. You were a spy?"

"For the Ministry, yes. Not for your Order. Only the Minister and Head Auror knew. I had planned to reconcile with you- after my name was cleared. Then you were arrested, and I was never called to testify at your trial. I assumed it was because we were family. By the time I realized you had never had a trial, too long had passed and I had no ministry presence to influence them."

Sirius nodded. "Are you Lord Black, then?"

"You are," Regulus said with a small shake of his head. "Because you were never convicted, you were never technically stripped of the title. The ministry records will say you were, but the family magic never recognized it."

"Wait, I wasn't disowned?"

"Not properly, no."

"Well." Sirius paused. "I suppose I'll have to reach out to Cousin Andromeda once the title is officially recognized again. The three of us will need to do some work for the family name."

Regulus extended his hand, and Sirius grabbed it tightly. "Welcome back, brother. I've missed you."

Sirius swallowed his tears and nodded tightly. "Lily-flower!" he cried, raising his arms. If his exuberance was exaggerated, no one commented on it. "It's been awhile."

"Yes, it has Siri. Harry started Hogwarts this year. I asked after you and Remus as soon as we came back to the wizarding world. When I heard what happened to you-" She cut off, eyes burning with fury. When she spoke again, her voice was tightly controlled. "I told Albus in no uncertain terms that I knew he had the influence to do something about it, and that I wouldn't accept anything less."

"Thank you, Lils. Thank you." He turned to the Headmaster, a hint of the Black temper visible on his face. "If only it hadn't taken ten years for someone to see sense."

"You are absolutely right, my boy." Albus' voice was heavy with regret. "There is no excuse. I simply never put the clues together to realize you may be an innocent man. I hope, in time, you can come to forgive me but I understand that time may be a long way off."

Sirius nodded harshly, then turned to Harry. "Pup. You've grown up." Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, and frowned when he flinched. "You've just started school, then?" Harry nodded, the possible rejection he was facing burning the words out of him. "Gryffindor?" Eyes wide and breathing heavily, Harry hesitated before shaking his head.

"Siri." Lily cut in, her tone chastising. "You must remember that House isn't everything, and that every house can produce both good and bad people."

Sirius pondered her words. "Slytherin, then?" Harry hesitated longer this time before nodding. "But why? How?"

"That's a long story," said Remus. "But Harry is a survivor, and that's where he gets his Slytherin traits."

"Do you hate me?" Harry's voice was small, but it was there. Sirius saw the fear in his eyes, and recognized the hunched posture of a child protecting themselves from blows from his own childhood. He looked for the truth in Lily and Remus, and a fierce protectiveness surged inside him.

"I could never hate you, Pup." Immediately the tension bled out of him and Harry met his godfather's eyes for the first time, a small smile on his face. "And I can't wait to get to know you. Will you write to me?"

Harry's smile widened, and he nodded vigorously.

"Remmy."

"Siri."

"Let's talk privately, yeah? There's a lot to be said, I think." Remus nodded in agreement, and moved to stand by Sirius. "Reggie, I'll get in touch with you once my title is restored. We'll talk about Andi, and the House's finances and all that rubbish."

Sirius then turned to go, Remus following behind. Headmaster Dumbledore took out the same portkey from earlier, and Harry took hold of it. Lily gave Regulus one more considering look before the portkey activated, and she found herself back at Hogwarts with Harry.

"Well, Harry. You've had an exciting day and it's only lunchtime. Make sure you're in uniform for your afternoon classes."

Harry had to change during lunch, and didn't have a chance to talk to any of his housemates until he joined Blaise, Daphne, and Theo at dinner.

"How did the trial go?" Blaise asked immediately.

"My godfather is cleared on all counts. Pretty big reparations from the Ministry, too." Harry replied as he filled his plate. "He still needs medical treatment because of the dementors, but he seemed in pretty good shape today all things considered."

"Do you think he's going to try to get you to come live with him?" Daphne asked.

"I hope so," Harry replied, ignoring the shrewd look Theo gave him.

The rest of the evening passed normally, and Harry was grateful that his friends didn't press for information. Harry played chess against Blaise, which he was getting much better at, and Theo lent him notes from the morning classes he missed. The news came out the next day with a sensationalized version of the trial courtesy of Skeeter, and Harry spent much of the day correcting increasingly wild rumors with the help of his friends.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Classes and Conclusions

The eighth of November, a Friday, found Harry in the hospital wing.

"This is the fourth time in two weeks you've come to me for a headache potion, Mr. Potter." Madame Pomphrey murmured as she ran yet another diagnostic scan. Harry decided not to mention the two times he'd gotten one from his head of house. "My scans aren't showing any reason for these chronic pains. I insist you stay here overnight for observation." Another scan. "Is there any pattern to the problem?"

Harry frowned in thought. "Not that I've noticed..."

"Right. Well, something must be causing them, and I cannot in good conscience continue to treat only the symptoms. Don't worry, Mr. Potter. I'll get to the bottom of this." With that, she took the parchment bearing the results of her scans and bustled out of the room. A moment later, a pair of hospital pajamas and a tray of dinner appeared on the nightstand, and Harry settled in the bed. Lily faded into view at his side.

"How long have the headaches been going on, Harry?"

"All year, really. They're just getting worse now. It's always been two or three times a week, I think."

The next day, Madame Pomphrey frowned at the lack of answers but let him go. Without a diagnosable issue, she couldn't keep him any longer.

"She probably thinks I'm faking," Harry grumbled to Theo back in the common room.

"It is odd," Theo said with a frown. "Pain potions can be addictive. Headache potions less so, but she's probably concerned about giving you too many."

Harry silently resolved to avoid the hospital wing for a couple of weeks, and only go to Professor Snape when the headaches were at their worst. Shrugging, he took out his Charms essay and helped Daphne through some theory she was stuck on.

"It's always after Defense."

Harry turned to Blaise. "What was that?"

He clarified. "Your headaches. Are you having that much trouble in Defense? You've always got a headache when we leave."

"No. How could anyone have trouble in Quirrell's class? It's so bloody easy." Harry thought back and realized that his trips to the hospital wing did in fact tend to be right after DADA. "Pomphrey did ask if there was a pattern, but I'm not sure that's what she meant."

The following Tuesday, a duel broke out between two upper years when the Slytherins were on their way to lunch. Harry and his friends backed against the wall to stay out of the way - it looked fairly vicious. The Ravenclaw girl involved got a particularly nasty look on her face before she cast "Ossio Dispersimus!" and Harry fell to his knees clutching his head. The Slytherin she was dueling barely dodged the bone-breaking curse, and it dissipated on the wall behind him. Harry's screams distracted the duelers, and the Slytherin insisted he be taken to Madame Pomphrey. Picking the smaller boy up by the shoulder as gently as possible, he directed the whimpering boy away from the Great Hall, his friends close behind.

"What on earth- Mr. Potter, again?"

"He collapsed in the hallway, Madame Pomphrey, screaming in pain." said the older Slytherin.

"What was happening before he collapsed?" She asked the group as she levitated Harry onto the nearest bed. Lily floated nervously nearby.

The older boy looked abashed. "Er, well, a duel. But he wasn't hit with anything that I saw."

"No," Blaise said. "He collapsed right after she cast that bone-breaking curse. If he was hit, we'd have an entirely different issue."

"The bone-breaking curse is Dark magic," scolded Madame Pomphrey.

"None of us cast it!" insisted Theo.

Harry shifted on the bed. "'S just another headache..." he mumbled.

"This seems significantly worse than your usual headaches, Mr. Potter. Typically you walk into my infirmary under your own power."

"Yeah, 's worse. Feels the same though."

Clucking her tongue, Madame Pomphrey gave Harry another headache potion. He downed it with practiced ease. Madame Pomphrey shooed the others out to lunch.

"Are you sure there is no pattern to the headaches, Mr. Potter?"

"Well, Blaise pointed out this weekend that they usually come after Defense class, but I'm not sure how that relates. And this one didn't. We don't have Defense until tomorrow."

"No, this one came after a student cast a Dark curse..." Madame Pomphrey looked thoughtful. "I'm going to try an experiment, Mr. Potter. If my hunch is correct, you might be about to get another headache but we'll take care of it right away." Harry nodded, and she cast the Gemino curse, which duplicates objects, on a glass sitting on the nightstand. Harry's hand instantly flew to his head, and Madame Pomphrey pressed another potion into his hand. "It seems we've found the issue, Mr. Potter. You have a sensitivity to Dark magic that is manifesting through your scar."

"What does that mean?"

"I think I can contribute here," chimed in Lily. "The protective ritual I cast the night I died - the scar was the final piece of it. The sensitivity is probably meant to be a defense mechanism. Not a very good one, admittedly, but it was a highly experimental ritual."

"I can give you an amulet to wear, Mr. Potter, that will filter some of the ambient magic around you. They are commonly worn by children who are hypersensitive to certain types of magic. I'm sure the same principle will apply here. It won't give you any additional protection against spells you cast or spells cast on you, but it should prevent you from collapsing the next time you witness a duel. I'll have to order one from St. Mungo's, I'll send it via your head of house when it arrives. Now, off you go."

"But we aren't doing Dark magic in Defense!" Millicent pointed out when Harry reported Madame Pomphrey's findings at lunch.

"Maybe Quirrell's got some Dark artifact or something hidden among all the garlic?" suggested Theo, only partially joking.

Harry shrugged and continued eating, distracted. They had Defense that afternoon, and Harry wasn't looking forward to it now that he realized he'd probably leave with another headache. And having had two potions already today, he was sure he shouldn't take another. Luckily, it was their last class of the day. Harry would probably skip dinner and go straight to bed afterwards.

When the Slytherins reached the Defense classroom, Professor Snape was standing at Quirrell's desk. He gave a dark look around the classroom, focusing on Weasley and Longbottom a few seconds longer than anyone else. "Your usual professor has fallen ill, I am taking his classes this afternoon. I will expect no more foolishness than you would show in my Potions classroom while I am here."

Professor Snape was an excellent Defense teacher, it turned out, and Harry was quickly absorbed into his lecture on the smokescreen spell and their subsequent practice time. He earned five points after being the first to cast it correctly.

"How is your head?" Daphne asked as they were preparing to leave, eyes full of concern.

Harry blinked in surprise. "It's fine, actually. That's odd - we just realized that it was connected to Defense and now..." Harry froze in his tracks. "Go on without me, I want to ask Professor Snape something about Potions." Daphne gave him a shrewd look that said she didn't buy it, but left with the others. Harry approached the front of the classroom.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Snape looked up patiently from the essay he was grading. Ever since Lily had laid into him the first day of class, he had made an effort to see the boy as he would any of his other Slytherins. It had become easier the more he had gotten to know him - he truly was as different as possible from his insufferable father.

"Madame Pomphrey discovered today that the headaches I've been having come from a sensitivity to Dark magic. The thing is, I always get one after Defense. Theo thought maybe there was a Dark artifact somewhere in the classroom, but I haven't got a headache today."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "You've come to report the absence of a headache?"

"No, sir," Harry hurried to reply. "I think that Professor Quirrell is using or wearing Dark magic of some sort. The only Defense class I've left without a headache was today, when he wasn't here."

Professor Snape looked thoughtful. "Thank you for alerting me to this, Mr. Potter. I will see that it is looked into."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said, and rushed to drop off his bag before joining his friends at dinner.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Letters

_Dear Sirius,_

_I'm happy you said I could write to you. How are you? I'm okay. Madame Pomphrey found out I am sensitive to Dark magic and it's been giving me headaches, but she gave me a charm that has helped a lot. It does make me and Mum worry about how much Dark magic has been happening in the school, though, because I have had a lot of these headaches. I brought up the main source of them with Professor Snape, since he's my head of house, and he said he would look into it. I know you don't like him much, but he's been decent to me. He's a good head of house._

_Remus has asked permission from him to take me to visit you on Boxing Day. Will you still be in hospital then, or will you be home somewhere? Where is home for you? I am staying at Hogwarts the rest of the break. Mum and Headmaster Dumbledore say I am never going back to the Dursley's house. I told Remus about them, you can ask him if you want to know. I don't want to put it all in a letter._

_Classes have been going fine. My best subjects are Potions and Charms, like Mum. My friends help me with Transfiguration a lot. Mum says you and Dad were really good at that, so maybe someday you'll be able to help me with it too. I would like Defense a lot more if it wasn't where I got the most headaches. _

_I have to ask. Are you really okay with me being in Slytherin? I'm just nervous because I know how you felt about the house, and Remus said you might need to be talked around on it when I met him. _

_Write back soon, please._

_Harry Potter_

_Harry,_

_I'll start with your last question, since it seems most important. I really am okay with it. You're my godson- I swore to protect you when you were a baby, and I've done a rubbish job so far but nothing could stop me now that I'm a free man. I've talked with Moony a little bit about your childhood (and I imagine he will be more forthcoming on the details with your written permission) and I want you to know I understand. The House of Black was a rough place to grow up too, Pup. I promise to let you talk to me about it exactly as much as you want to- no more and no less. _

_Now, back to the beginning of your letter. I'm doing better than I have been in a long time, but the Healers still say I've got a long way to go. I'm glad that you got the sensitivity issue sorted out, and that you went to an adult for help- even if that adult is Snape. I guess part of having a Slytherin godson will be making peace with you liking him._

_I will probably still be in hospital over Christmas. Remus tells me that negotiations with the Headmaster for a visit are going well, so I look forward to seeing you then. _

_I can't wait to teach you Transfiguration someday! Has Lilyflower told you about the Marauders' secret project we did fourth year? She didn't know until later of course. When you visit I'll tell you some stories from when we were learning. Your Mum doesn't know everything we got up to in school!_

_Study hard, Pup, but have fun too. _

_Sirius_

_Harry,_

_Negotiations with the Headmaster for Boxing Day have been successful. I'll be coming to the castle for breakfast that day, and we will leave right afterwards to visit Padfoot. I'll be getting you lunch, and we will be back at the castle for dinner. I look forward to seeing you._

_Remus_

_Remus,_

_Do you think we could go to Godric's Hollow at some point on Boxing Day? I've never seen my parents' graves, and I'd like to visit them. Especially Dad's. If there won't be time, I understand. It would be nice, though. Either way, I can't wait to see you and Sirius on Boxing Day._

_Harry_

_Harry,_

_We will make time. _

_Remus_

_Harry,_

_Tea on Saturday? You can bring a friend._

_Hagrid_

_Hagrid,_

_Can't wait! Theo Nott is going to come with me._

_Harry_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Tea with Hagrid and Talks with Theo

Saturday November 16th, Harry and Theo spent the afternoon in Hagrid's hut. They arrived just as the kettle began to whistle, and Hagrid poured them large mugs of tea and offered them rock cakes. While Hagrid's back was turned, Harry gestured to the cakes and made a slicing motion with his hand across his throat at Theo, signalling him to ignore them.

"Yeh've bin gettin' a lot o' owls lately, 'Arry."

Harry nodded and swallowed his tea. "Now that Sirius is free, I've been writing to him, and to Remus too. Mum's always told me lots of stories about Dad and his friends, but actually hearing from them is so different."

"Harry, aren't you going to visit your godfather soon?" Theo asked. His tone of voice was overly innocent, like he was hiding something, and Harry knew Theo knew all about his visit. He answered cautiously.

"Not that soon. Boxing Day is over a month away still. But yeah, the Headmaster gave Remus permission to take me to St. Mungo's that day."

"Normally your guardians would have to give permission for that, not Dumbledore."

Harry frowned. What was Theo getting at? "I'm not sure who my guardian technically is right now, now that Sirius is free."

"Sirius won' be yer guardian 'til the Healers say he's alrigh' to take care o' yeh. Not while 'e's still in hospital fer sure."

"Oh."

At this point, Lily cut in. "The Headmaster serves as a temporary guardian for students sometimes, when they're changing guardianships."

"But isn't that usually only when the former guardian is unfit-"

Reaching hastily for something to change the subject, Harry piped up. "Hagrid, do you know anything about cerberuses?"

He was answered with suspicious looks from Hagrid and Theo. "Why would yeh wanna know about tha'?"

"I was doing some extra reading for History," Harry fibbed, "Since Binns really only teaches about the Goblin Wars, and I came across a mention of them. I thought they were really interesting, you see, but I couldn't find anything else on them in the Library. I know that you like magical creatures, and so I thought I'd ask."

"Well, in tha' case suppose there's no harm in tellin' yeh. I raised a cerberus from a pup, I did, so I know a thing 'r two about 'em. Fluffy's the sweetest thing if yeh know how to handle 'im." Hagrid didn't notice Harry's choke and Lily's eyes widen when he said the creature's name was Fluffy. "Real docile as long as 'e get's plenty o' exercise, and I bin playin' 'im lullabies te go ter sleep ever since 'e was a pup. Headmaster's borrowin' 'im righ' now fer somethin' important."

Theo perked up a bit at that. "Hagrid, is...Fluffy...guarding something in the school?"

"I don' see how that's any o' yer business, since I know tha' corridor's forbidden, but yeah, tha's Fluffy."

"I stumbled on the corridor by accident while lost, and I was only concerned, since you said he needs plenty of exercise. I doubt he's getting a chance to run around much right now. Whatever he's guarding must be very important." Hagrid's trusting nature was helpless to Theo's faux caring.

"Oh, it's important alrigh'. But Fluffy's jus' fine. And what 'e's doin' is strictly between the Headmaster and Flamel." Hagrid paused. "I should not 'ave said tha'...Would yeh look at the time, you boys better be gettin' to the castle."

With that, a flustered looking Hagrid ushered Harry and Theo out the front door. Harry turned to his friend. "You didn't get lost, I know you went to look for the corridor on purpose the first week."

"You're one to talk, of course. You brought the subject up, not me."

"Yes, but I actually found it by accident. And I didn't unlock the door and go in. I only knew about Fluffy-" he shuddered at the name of the beast "-because of my Mum. I doubt you had a ghost check for you."

"Your relatives hurt you, didn't they?"

Harry stopped in his tracks, spluttering. "What-" _do you mean?_ "How did-" _you know?_ "Why do you ask?"

"You never talk about home when the others do, you and I are the only Slytherin first years staying for the holidays, and when I brought up guardianship you immediately got Hagrid talking about his pet cerberus."

"Oh. Don't tell anyone."

Theo fully faced Harry, hands on his shoulders, and looked him dead in the eye. It was a bit uncomfortable. "I won't. I wouldn't want anyone talking about my home life, either. But if you ever want to talk, you can come to me. Hopefully, I can do the same with you."

Harry's eyes widened, and he nodded once. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. The two made their way back to the castle in silence.

The rest of November and the beginning of December passed in a flurry of essays and letters. All semester, Harry had spent History of Magic reading various history books from the library with Binns' droning relegated to background noise. He knew from the older Slytherins that poor marks wouldn't be tolerated in Slytherin house, regardless of the quality of the teacher. Harry had hoped Defense would improve once the headaches were addressed, but Professor Quirrell's lessons were still mostly useless. Frustrated, Harry took up the same strategy there as he did in History, and the first year Slytherins practiced defensive spells together in the common room, as Quirrell never allowed enough practice time in lessons. Harry and Theo shared several significant looks when holiday plans came up, but neither of them broached the subject of home verbally again.

Harry only had time to purchase gifts for his friends by owl order after his Mum made a pointed comment about it late one night (or early one morning, depending on your point of view) while they were alone in the common room. He had had a nightmare about the cupboard, and couldn't go back to sleep. With her help, he made a list of gifts to purchase and wrote out orders to send by owl once the sun had risen.

_Theo - cloak_

_Blaise - fur-lined gloves_

_Daphne - fur-lined gloves _

_Millicent - Hollyhead Harpies hat and scarf_

_Hagrid - tea kettle_

_Sirius - coffee and sugar quills_

_Remus - tea and chocolate_

_Neville - licorice wands_

_Ron - chocolate frogs_

Harry wasn't entirely sure if he should get anything for Ron and Neville. He really had meant to befriend them, but they hadn't gotten close. He decided it was better safe than sorry, and ordered some sweets for them. He didn't know them well enough to get more personalized gifts like his Slytherin friends, but he hoped they would appreciate the thought. It was close enough to the end of the semester that Harry ordered the gifts to be sent straight to his friends instead of himself, and paid the extra fee for the shops to giftwrap them. Hopefully next year, he would remember earlier.

The morning of the 22nd, the Hogwarts Express came through the snow to deliver the students home after breakfast. Several Slytherins were still frantically packing that morning. Harry and Theo waved goodbye to their friends, and spent the rest of the day in the empty common room reading and playing chess or exploding snap. The only other Slytherin to stay was Prefect Gemma Farley. She reminded them that curfew still applied during break and that attendance at Christmas Day lunch was required, but otherwise left them alone.

_The cupboard door was locked, and the light had long since burned out. How long had Harry been locked in? His stomach ached, his throat was dry. He knocked on the door to be let out, and it opened to show Headmaster Dumbledore. His voice was deceptively kind as he told Harry that he could never escape the Dursley's, and slammed the door again. As if the door were a trigger, the cupboard began to shrink from all directions. The walls were closing in. Soon, Harry had to hunch over to fit. He was going to be crushed. He was going to die in here, alone._

Harry woke with a gasp, and looked around eyes wide trying to orient himself. He threw his curtains open and sat on the edge of the bed. "Might as well go out to the common room again," he muttered to himself, slipping on a dressing gown and slippers against the cold of the dungeons. He startled slightly when there was already a figure on the sofa in the common room. Theo sat, staring into the flames, and Harry stood in the doorway wondering if the other boy would prefer to be left alone.

"You can come join me, no need to stand there."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, and went to sit in an armchair across from Theo. Lily hovered visibly next to him, but Theo didn't pay her any mind.

"You spend a lot of nights out here, don't you?"

"Er, I guess. When I have a nightmare, I usually can't get back to sleep, and prefer to be out in the open. How did you...?"

"Know? I have insomnia. I'm usually awake when you wake up and leave, but I didn't want to draw attention to you from the others by joining you. No worries about that right now."

"That makes sense, I suppose. Thanks."

"Why do you prefer open spaces after a nightmare? I usually want to hide away."

Harry stayed silent for several long moments, debating whether he should tell Theo the truth. He was sure he could refuse and Theo would drop it, like he had after their tea with Hagrid, but he remembered Theo's comment about his own home life and thought it might be nice to talk to someone his age who could relate. "In a lot of muggle houses, there's a cupboard underneath the stairs meant for storing cleaning supplies or coats. At my relatives' house, that was my bedroom. And when I was being punished, which was often, they locked me in for days at a time. It was about the size of our beds with the curtains drawn."

"I'd want open spaces too, if that was how Father punished me."

"That was usually my punishment when I was going to school. Vernon saved beatings more for summer and special occasions so my teachers wouldn't notice the injuries. They also didn't always feed me, and when I got sick or hurt I had to take care of myself instead of going to a doctor-muggle Healers. They tried to convince me that I was a freak for having magic and that my family was worthless, but Mum was able to tell me the truth at night in the cupboard so that wasn't as bad."

Theo looked at Harry. "My mother died in childbirth, and I think Father blames me for her death. I always had house elves to tend to me as a baby and a toddler, and I'm not sure that I actually met my father until he started tutoring me in etiquette and culture when I was six. Which was odd in itself, because everyone else had hired tutors. But he did it himself so that he could punish me his way when I didn't meet his expectations. He used different curses on me- cutting curses and such until this last year, when he switched to short bursts of the cruciatus curse. He taught me at night, and always made me go to bed with the damage, then healed me in the morning before I met with the others for our lessons. I learned history and literature and Latin with Malfoy, Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle in the mornings. I knew it wasn't normal, because Father forbade me from talking about my etiquette lessons with the other boys but they could talk about theirs freely."

"But knowing it's wrong doesn't let you stop it. It was the same for me."

"Theo," Lily began with a soft, kind voice. "Have you considered speaking with the Headmaster, or one of your friends' parents? Harry isn't going back to my sister's house, it's possible you could be moved too."

"No. It wouldn't be any use - my father is too respected in the Ministry for any accusations to go anywhere. He was a Death Eater, too, you know? And he was never even charged and brought to trial for it." Lily's face fell at his words.

"That's awful!" Harry exclaimed. "What if he really hurts you some day?"

"Father will never permanently damage me, not like your relatives might have. I'm his only heir, he needs me to be intact so that I can inherit and carry on the family name."

"It's still horrible."

"What your relatives did was horrible too."

"Yeah."

The two boys sat in silence then. The sunlight was starting to filter in through the underwater window. Harry's eyes drifted to a portrait on the opposite wall of a bearded man with a snake. "Theo?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know whose portrait that is? He always stares at me when I'm out here at night, but he never talks."

"People are pretty sure it's Salazar Slytherin, but it's hard to say since, like you said, he never talks. The rumor is that Slytherin preferred snakes to people so much that his portrait can only speak Parseltongue."

Harry cocked his head in interest at that, and exchanged a look with his mother. Theo watched him as he wordlessly stood up and walked over to the portrait. Harry had never spoken Parseltongue on purpose before, but figured he could probably do it if he focused on the snake that was presently wrapped around the man's neck.

_"Hello?"_

Slytherin smiled conspiratorially at Harry. Behind him, Theo's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in an indecorous gape. _"Hello, young heir. What is your name?"_

_"Heir? My name is Harry Potter."_

_"Only my heirs can speak the language of snakes, Mr. Potter."_

_"Oh. I didn't know that. I was raised away from the wizarding world, and only just got back."_

_"You will have a lot to learn, Heir Harry. I see you in this common room often. When you are sleepless, come talk to me and I will teach you."_

_"Thank you, sir."_

The portrait only chuckled at that, and Harry turned back to Theo. "So it's definitely Slytherin. And he says that to speak Parseltongue I must be his heir."

"Why didn't you tell us you're a Parselmouth?"

"I didn't realize it would be important to you. Mum told me it was rare, but she didn't tell me it was related to Slytherin. She also told me that Parselmouths have a bad reputation, so I thought it was best to hide it."

"I didn't realize it was a Slytherin gift, either," said Lily. "but your father wasn't a Parselmouth so I don't know how you would be the heir. We'll have to get someone to look into that when we leave the school."

"If you let the other Slytherins know you're the Heir of Slytherin, you'll be like a Prince in the dungeons."

"I don't know that I want that. At least not yet. But maybe I'll tell our other friends when they come back." Theo nodded, and the two boys decided it was late enough to dress for breakfast. Their heavy conversation that morning bonded them closer together, but they didn't discuss it in the light of day.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Christmas Day!

Harry woke up on Christmas morning after a rare nightmare-free night. He sat up slowly, rubbed his eyes, and opened his curtains. He fumbled for his glasses, and put them on to see Theo sitting on his bed staring at him.

"What are you waiting for? It's Christmas! Presents!"

Blinking in confusion, Harry noticed the pile of gifts at the end of Theo's bed. He turned to the end of his own bed, and his jaw dropped. "I have presents," he whispered.

"Of course you've got presents, it's Christmas!" Theo said as he started opening the gift from his father.

"I've never gotten a Christmas present before."

Theo paused in opening his gift at this revelation. "Well, you've got friends and your godfather and Lupin now to give you presents. So go ahead and open them!"

Harry didn't need to be told again, and started ripping the wrapping paper off each gift in turn. Lily happily watched her son open his presents for the first time in far too long, and made comments on the thoughtfulness of several of the gifts with him. He'd gotten a monogrammed, leather-bound journal from Theo ("It's charmed so that it can only be read with your permission."), a book on chess strategies from Blaise, a silk cravat from Daphne, a book on the British and Irish Quidditch League from Millicent (with a note that said "Pick your team!"), a hand-carved wooden flute from Hagrid, a miniature quidditch pitch with players that could really fly from Sirius, a photo album of the Marauders' time at Hogwarts from Remus, and a box of sweets from Neville. Harry was glad he had thought to send Neville something, since it seems the other boy had had the same idea. The only person he had sent something to who didn't send him something back was Ron. The last package didn't have a name on it, but he doubted it came from the Weasleys. He opened it to reveal a silky grey cloak, and a note.

_This cloak is a Potter family heirloom. I have been holding onto it since your father died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well._

"Use it well? What does that mean?"

Theo looked up. "Is that an invisibility cloak? Who sent it to you? They're rare."

"A what?"

Lily smiled. "It was James' cloak. Go ahead and put it on, Baby."

Harry stood up and threw the cloak around his shoulders, and his body disappeared as the fluid cloth settled around him. "Wicked."

"Who sent it?" Theo asked again.

"The note doesn't say. It just says to use it well." Harry walked over to the mirror and pulled up the hood of the cloak, amazed.

"It must have been the Headmaster. I wrapped that cloak around you in your crib when you were a baby, to hide you. He must have taken it with him when he brought you to my sister's."

Theo looked like he was realizing something. "Hold on. Invisibility cloaks don't last that long. The demiguise hair they're made of stops working in less than ten years."

"The note says this one is a family heirloom. It must be special," came Harry's disembodied voice from the other end of the room. He pulled the cloak off as he walked back to his bed, then folded it carefully and put it in his trunk, along with his other gifts. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

The boys walked out into the common room to see Gemma Farley at a table with a spread of pastries, sausages, tea, and pumpkin juice. "Happy Christmas, boys. The elves bring breakfast to us on Christmas morning while the Great Hall gets set up for the big lunch. Good gifts?"

Harry only nodded quietly, while Theo started telling the older girl about what he'd received. She smiled indulgently at him as he filled a plate and poured a cup of tea.

The Great Hall had been decorated with trees, icicles, and tinsel for weeks already, but when the boys walked in for Christmas lunch it looked even more magnificent. Small, glowing faeries flitted from tree to tree, the enchanted ceiling reflected a gentle snowfall from outside, and everything seemed to shine. The four house tables had been replaced for the day with one large circular one, where the Headmaster and the teachers who had remained behind were already sitting. The three Slytherins joined, and soon the students from other houses trickled in. Ravenclaw had the most students, mostly fifth and seventh years who couldn't leave the library behind in an exam year. Hufflepuff had a pair of third-year twins and their fifth-year boys' prefect, and Gryffindor had the four Weasleys in matching homemade sweaters.

Ron spoke to Harry through a mouthful of shepherd's pie. "Thanks for the chocolate frogs, mate. Sorry I didn't get you anything..."

Harry had to fight to avoid wrinkling his nose at Ron's manners. "It's no problem. I know we aren't close, I just really liked being able to get things for people."

Ron seemed satisfied with that answer, and turned back to his brothers. Harry decided that he was okay with not being close to Ron. Lily drifted over to speak with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, eager for adult company, while Harry and Theo pulled a few Wizard Crackers. By the time they left the Great Hall, each person had an odd hat of some sort. (Theo refused to wear his, as did Professors Quirrell and Snape. Headmaster Dumbledore had one of the oddest hats, and wore it with pride.) The Weasley twins had also gotten a prank item of some sort, which made several of the professors exchange nervous looks, and Harry had gotten a set of Exploding Snap cards.

Back in the common room, Harry and Theo spent the afternoon writing thank you notes so that they could send them off before dinner.

"Want to go explore with me tonight? There's definitely room under the cloak for two."

"Sure. Not like I'll be asleep anyway."

Wandering the castle at night was eerie. Suits of armor and paintings that seemed perfectly friendly by the light of day took on a sinister look in the dark, and even invisible the boys were on edge as they tried to move silently through the halls. They were able to fool patrolling teachers, and even Filch, but Mrs. Norris proved their downfall. She must be able to smell them. When she mewled, calling the caretaker, the boys abandoned silence and took off at a run, shutting themselves in an unused classroom.

"That's an odd thing to be sitting in a random classroom." Theo said, bemused. Harry looked away from his watch at the door to see what he was talking about, and found an ornate free-standing mirror dominated the center of the room.

"Yeah, wonder what it's doing here?"

The inscription on the mirror read _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. "That's not Latin," said Theo. "I've been studying Latin since I was six, and that's definitely not Latin. It's not any language I recognize."

"It's reflected." Lily's clearly adult voice made both boys jump, having momentarily forgotten she was there.

"What do you mean, Mum?"

"Well, it's a mirror. So the words are backwards. If you reflected them in a mirror, you'd be able to read it I think."

Theo looked carefully at the inscription. "Ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire. I show not your face but your heart's desire. This is the Mirror of Erised! I thought it was a myth!"

"Looks pretty real to me," mumbled Harry. He approached the mirror, and gasped at what he saw. Sirius stood next to him, looking healthy and happy, with his mum present in her ghostly state. Sirius unlocked the door to a house behind them, and gestured inside as if to say 'Welcome home.' Harry teared up, and broke his gaze away from the mirror.

"That's coming, Baby. It'll be reality someday."

Theo looked more conflicted, but eventually decided to stand in front of the mirror. He narrowed his eyes at his reflection for a moment, then nodded and turned away. "Think the halls are clear to go back, yet?"

"Yeah, I expect so."

Under the cloak again, the boys made it back to the common room without incident and immediately went to bed. Even Theo slept.

A/N: Harry's deepest desire in a world where he already has some family is a home. Lily could see what he saw in the mirror because I've decided that ghosts don't have reflections, allowing her to stand behind him and look without disrupting the mirror's magic. Since Harry's deepest desire in this world is attainable, and just a matter of patience, he will not be revisiting the mirror. It's less tempting to him than the image of his parents was in canon.

Theo saw himself as an adult in the mirror, wearing the Nott family ring. His desire is to be out from under his father's thumb without losing his inheritance.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Boxing Day

Sirius was technically only allowed one visitor at a time. They were able to arrange things, however, since Harry was underage and Lily was a ghost and now he was happily sitting with Harry, Lily, and Remus all at the same time. It probably also helped that the Ministry was Very Sorry for putting him in prison. (You could hear the capital letters every time a representative from the Ministry spoke to Sirius.)

"Did you like your Christmas presents?" Harry asked the two men. "I've never had anyone to buy presents for before so I wasn't sure what to get, but Mum said you'd like them."

Remus and Sirius managed to mostly suppress winces at the admission that Harry had been alone until now. "It was great, kiddo. Sugar quills have always been my favorite sweet."

"That's what Mum said, too." Harry said with a grin.

"I, for one, am impressed you managed to find a blend of tea I haven't tried before and am looking forward to a cup when I go home today," added Remus.

Harry's grin split even wider. The joy that being able to do something for someone brought him warmed the hearts of all three adults in the room.

Lily and Remus then told the story of Harry's first Christmas for the benefit of both Harry and Sirius. Lily revealed for the first time that James had wanted to get Harry a broom that year, even though he was only five months old, and Lily had been forced to make him swear an Oath to only purchase age-appropriate toys that year. In exchange for the Oath, she had allowed him a free pass for pranking that day. Each time someone had opened a gift, a charm had activated that turned their hair a different color at random. The eggnog had been spiked with a potion that caused the drinker to uncontrollably sing parodies of Christmas carols. (The antidote had been in the gingerbread cookies.) Most memorably all of the flatware in the house had gotten up and wandered away any time someone tried to use it, forcing the adults to eat Christmas dinner with the unaffected serving utensils instead. Lily confessed she had been planning to give James the same free pass on Christmas every year, since it had been fun and no one was hurt. Sirius promised to make it a Christmas tradition once Harry was able to move in with him.

"Do you know when that will be, Sirius? When will I be able to live with you?"

"I'm not sure yet, Pup. On the 28th they're letting me leave the hospital, but I'll still have Healer's appointments every day. The Ministry has said they want me down to every other week before they allow me to take custody of you."

"Will that be by summer?"

"Who knows, Kiddo. But even if I can't have you live with me this summer, I'll make sure to take you out a few times and do something for your birthday." Sirius ruffled Harry's hair in a way that he hoped was comforting. Either the hair ruffling or the promise of a birthday party seemed to work, as another grin broke through the melancholy that had settled on Harry's face and the conversation moved on to lighter topics.

"Too bad ghosts can't give pensieve memories," Sirius said at one point, "Lilyflower would have a wealth of them for me."

"You said in your letters that stories help too, though, right?" Harry asked. "Mum is great at telling stories. She told me all about the things the Marauders got up to in school when I was growing up with the Dursleys!"

"Well of course Lily's great at story-telling. She's great at everything."

"Not Transfiguration! She told me I'm on my own for that." Everyone laughed, and Lily was goaded into telling the story of when "someone" had used Permanent Sticking Charms to cover the Gryffindor common room in mistletoe in the weeks leading up to the holidays their seventh year. Because it was magical mistletoe, you couldn't get out from under it until you kissed. Many people resembled beets when they got stuck with their friends or crushes. It had lead to James and Lily's first kiss, and had been what outed Sirius and Remus to the rest of the house.

Lily continued to tell Christmas themed stories throughout their conversation, starting a new one each time she was reminded of something the Marauders had done.

"Harry, Lils, I have a question for you." Sirius' voice was suddenly unusually, well, serious.

"What is it, Padfoot?" asked Lily.

"Regs and I are both going to be childless, which leaves our family in danger of dying out just as we're turning things around for ourselves. Would you allow me to blood adopt you so that you can be heir to the House of Black?"

"What's a blood adoption mean?" Harry asked.

"It's a magical adoption that mixes my blood with yours so that any heritage test would list me as your third parent. It's important for the Black heirship because the family magic requires an heir related to the family by blood who has four magical grandparents. With a blood adoption, you would qualify."

"And you'd be a third parent? You wouldn't replace Mum or Dad?"

Sirius smiled sadly. "I never could, Pup."

"Is it safe?" Lily asked. "And legal?"

"Perfectly, as long as it's done by the goblins."

"Then it's alright with me if it's alright with Harry."

"You really want to adopt me?" Harry asked, his voice quivering.

"Yeah, Pup. I really want to adopt you." Harry didn't manage an answer, but threw his arms around Sirius' waist which everyone present took as a yes. "We'll go to the bank and take care of it this summer."

Harry nodded his head against Sirius' chest, then paused for a moment and cocked his head to the side. "One of my friends mentioned something called an inheritance test. Can the goblins do those too?"

"They can, but why would you need one?"

Harry mumbled something incomprehensible and had to be asked to repeat himself. "Slytherin's portrait in the common room said I'm his heir," he said a bit louder.

"How would the portrait know?" Remus wondered aloud, while Lily and Sirius looked confused.

Harry bit his lip, but didn't answer. Lily didn't offer the reason either. It had been her who had advised Harry only to tell people he trusted about his Parseltongue, and she wasn't going to force him to tell Remus and Sirius before he was ready.

Sirius looked as puzzled as Remus, but he brushed it off. "Alright, we'll have the goblins do the blood adoption and an inheritance test this summer. It'll probably be a good idea anyways, to make sure the Black family magic recognizes you after the adoption."

About an hour before dinner time, goodbyes were said and Remus took Harry and Lily from the hospital. Once outside, they apparated directly to the graveyard in Godric's Hollow. Silently Remus pointed to a grave, and Harry walked towards it feeling like someone else was controlling his movements.

He was nervous. Why on earth should he be nervous to see his parents' graves? It's not as if he could do anything wrong here. He reached the headstones and dropped down to his knees. Seeing his mother's grave with her standing beside him was surreal. He lingered on it for only a moment before looking at his father's stone.

"Hi Dad." He stopped. He isn't sure what else he could say. If his father was able to watch him then he didn't need to be told about what Harry's life is like, and if he wasn't able to watch him then telling him would do nothing. He sits silently a moment longer. "I love you, even though I don't remember you," he whispered quietly.

Slowly, Remus approached from behind and conjured a little blue flame. It rested in front of the stone, burning in the air without regard to the dampness of the graveyard. He hesitated and looks at Lily before conjuring a second one for her stone. She smirked sadly at his indecision. Harry decided he doesn't want to see the ruins of the house he was born in, but they did go to see the memorial statue. Harry decided that it is a poor likeness of his Mum, and Lily said the same was true of the stone James and Harry.

That taken care of, they returned to the school and Harry went to dinner. The somber mood he picked up in the graveyard didn't last long, and soon he was talking animatedly with Theo about his visit to the hospital and his plans with Sirius for the summer.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: A Dragon

Harry and his friends were in the library one of the first days of the new term when he noticed Hagrid among the shelves, acting suspiciously. He approached him from behind. Once he was close enough to see the shelves that Hagrid was looking at he chirped, "Hi, Hagrid!" Hagrid jumped six inches, banged his head on the shelf, and dropped the book he was holding. Harry quickly scooped it up and looked at the title, _How to Train Your Dragon_ by Cressida Cowell. "Dragons?"

"Er, jus' a bit o' research," Hagrid said awkwardly. His eyes shifted to the side and he snatched the book back from Harry. "I've always loved 'em, ya know? Beautiful creatures, dragons. Misunderstood."

Harry could tell that Hagrid was hiding something; he really was a terrible liar. "Okay, then. Have a good day," he said easily and made his way back to his table. "Theo, go with me to Hagrid's tomorrow?"

Theo could see the look in Harry's eyes, promising a secret. "Sure, Harry."

After lunch the following day, the two boys and Lily made their way to Hagrid's hut. "He's researching dragons. But the book I saw was about raising them, and he got all starry-eyed when he was talking about them. I would find it hard to believe that he's got a dragon hidden away somewhere but with Hagrid you never really know, right?"

"When we were in school, he got his hands on a baby Nundu..." said Lily.

"And Fluffy is his pet," added Harry. "I really wouldn't be surprised if he's got a dragon."

"But breeding dragons outside a dragon preserve is illegal!" said Theo, scandalized. They had reached the hut, so Harry only shrugged and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it just a crack and peeked out. He looked conflicted when he saw Harry and Lily, but opened the door and quickly ushered the group inside. In his hearth sat a brown egg a bit larger than a Quaffle. Harry and Theo looked at each other with wide eyes. "I told you so," hissed Harry.

"Where on Merlin's earth did you get a dragon egg?" asked Theo incredulously.

"Won it! Off a fellow in teh Hog's Head. He was real interested in all sorts o' magical creatures," replied Hagrid in a blissful tone. "I told 'im all abou' Fluffy."

"Hagrid," said Lily cautiously, "Dragons can't be tamed. They're XXXXX creatures for a reason."

"Nonsense! Anythin' can be tamed if ye know how! Like Fluffy, all ye gotta do is play 'im a bit o' music and 'e goes right to sleep."

Lily fervently tried to talk Hagrid out of hatching the egg. She brought up all kinds of logical arguments - the illegality of dragon breeding, the fact that he lived in a small wooden hut, the difficulty (impossibility) of taming a dragon, but he wouldn't hear it.

"'E'll know me as 'is Mama, it'll all be fine, jus' ye wait 'n' see." Hagrid paused. "Say, do ye wanna come by when it hatches an' see the birth? It'll be right beautiful."

Harry and Theo looked at each other in silent communication, and decided that if Hagrid couldn't be convinced that this was a bad plan they may as well take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a dragon hatch. They turned to Hagrid and nodded together. Lily dropped her head into her hands and muttered something along the lines of "Merlin help us." Hagrid prattled on about what he'd learned about baby dragons for awhile longer before the boys decided it was time to go back to the castle.

A week later, Harry got a note at breakfast in Hagrid's handwriting. It said just one word. _Tonight._ He showed it to Theo, who nodded and returned to his conversation with Blaise about their Transfiguration essay. In the hall, he pulled Harry aside. "You've been wanting to make peace with Malfoy, right?"

"Erm, sort of? If he can be less of a prat, yeah."

"He's obsessed with dragons. If we bring him along, you two might be able to start building a bridge."

"He won't tell? He hates Hagrid, doesn't he?"

"We'll make him swear an Oath of Silence so he can't."

Harry pondered this, then nodded. The two walked briskly until they caught up with Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. Theo took the lead, since the two had grown up together. "Draco."

"Theo."

"I know something going on tonight that you'll be interested in."

Malfoy looked suspiciously at Harry. "What is it, then?"

"Not here," replied Theo with a covert glance at Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy nodded, and followed Theo and Harry into an alcove.

"This had better be good."

"First, I need an Oath of Silence. It's sensitive information." Malfoy's eyes widened slightly at that, but as far as magical oaths went this one was pretty tame. It would only stay his tongue on the relevant topic, so he agreed and took the Oath. "Hagrid's got a dragon egg, and it's hatching tonight. He's invited us, and we're inviting you along as a peace offering. That is, if you're into that sort of thing."

Malfoy's face briefly lit up before he schooled it back into his composed mask. "What time?"

"Meet us in the entry hall after dinner."

Malfoy almost walked away, then turned back with his eyes narrowed. "If this is a trick, I swear to you I'll get you."

"I'd expect nothing less," drawled Theo.

The three boys and Lily met in the entrance hall after dinner, as agreed, and made their way silently to Hagrid's hut. Things were tense between Harry and Lily and Malfoy, with Theo seemingly caught in between. Hagrid looked distrustfully at Malfoy when he cracked his door, but let him in with Harry's assurance that he'd keep the secret and was only here because he loved dragons too.

The group sat at the table and drank tea while they watched the egg rock back and forth in the flames. Malfoy was so amazed to see it that the tension they had carried since meeting dissipated. When the first crack formed in the egg, both Malfoy and Hagrid leapt to their feet with pure joy on their faces.

Hagrid named the newly hatched Norwegian Ridgeback Norbert, and he responded by immediately setting Hagrid's beard on fire. Hagrid cooed over the creature while Malfoy watched, maintaining dignity even as his eyes were transfixed. Harry and Theo watched with noticeably less awe, and no small amount of fear. Lily tried unsuccessfully once more to convince Hagrid that everyone would be better off if Norbert were sent to live on a dragon preserve.

Harry, Lily, Theo, and Malfoy visited Hagrid and Norbert frequently in the following weeks; the first three trying fruitlessly to convince Hagrid to send him away. Just over two weeks after Norbert's birth, Theo was bitten. His hand started to swell up immediately, and the boys were panicked.

"Norwegian Ridgebacks are venomous," said Malfoy helpfully. "We'd better get him to the hospital wing." The boys didn't want to tell Madame Pomfrey what had bitten Theo, but Lily cut off their protests. The matron needed to know what to treat, and a child's life was more important to her than a secret. She did keep quiet on how the boys had encountered the dragon, at least.

"A dragon? That's absurd!"

"I was there, Poppy. It was a Norwegian Ridgeback hatchling."

"Of all things," she muttered as she began treating the wounds. She had to call Professor Snape for an antivenin, since the infirmary was not regularly stocked for dragon bites. He looked shrewdly at the three Slytherins, but did not press them for answers.

That night, Lily finally managed to convince Hagrid to send Norbert away, since he was on the verge of discovery. "Albus didn't fire you after the Nundu incident in my fourth year, Hagrid, I'm fairly sure if you tell him about this, he will do what's best for Norbert with no consequence to you." The disdain in her voice was very carefully hidden as she thought about the pattern that Hagrid had for endangering students, and the fact that Albus let him get away with it.

Lily was right. Albus quietly contacted the nearest dragon preserve, and they sent two representatives to pick up the dragon immediately. Her name was changed to Norberta when the experts discovered that she was female, and Hagrid was promised regular updates on her life at the preserve. Malfoy decidedly did not cry when she was taken away. Hagrid decidedly did. Theo was released from the hospital wing the next day.

Life continued as usual, and while the tension between the two factions of first-year Slytherins relaxed no one would mistake them for friends.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Sharing Theories

All year, the third floor corridor on the left hand side had been a popular topic of conversation in the Slytherin common room. Nothing attracts attention like telling students that something is forbidden without giving a reason. Harry, for the most part, had stayed out of these conversations. They were pure speculation, since none of the other first- or second-years had been into the corridor, and he preferred listening to the increasingly wild ideas his housemates came up with.

Harry had spent a lot of time lately thinking about the cerberus he'd seen there, and the other clues he'd collected about it over the course of the year. One day, he decided to chime in during one of these discussions with what he knew. He was sitting in the common room with Theo, Blaise, Millicent, and Daphne, and Millie was theorizing about a magical ritual gone wrong that created a magic-eating vortex capable of swallowing students whole when Harry cut in.

"I'm pretty sure it's the Philosopher's Stone." Everyone turned to look at him, shocked that he'd joined in, but disappointed with his contribution. Theo, remembering his and Harry's conversation with Hagrid before the holidays, gave Harry a shrewd look.

"How would that cause a painful death to anyone? It lengthens your life," added Daphne.

"Well, it's guarded. There's definitely a Cerberus, and some Devil's Snare. Probably more past that, too."

Blaise chimed in next. "You sound pretty sure of this, Harry."

And with that opening, Harry told his friends about finding himself at the entrance to the forbidden corridor at the beginning of the year, his Mum's exploration of the obstacles, the vault that Hagrid had emptied when they were in Diagon Alley, and the little slips Hagrid had made during their conversations. "And I'm pretty sure whoever tried to steal it over the summer is still after it, which is why it's so heavily guarded."

"Hang on," said Theo, "Didn't Hagrid say that the guy who gave him that dragon egg-"

"DRAGON EGG?" exclaimed Daphne and Blaise, who had not been filled in on Hagrid's latest adventure.

"It's handled," said Theo off-handedly, "anyways, the guy who gave it to him was really interested in the cerberus, right? What if it was the same person, and the egg was a trick?"

"Hagrid is pretty easy to trick," said Millie with a look that said she knew this from experience.

"So let me get this straight," started Daphne, "The Philosopher's Stone is in the school, guarded by at least a cerberus and a patch of Devil's Snare, someone is trying to steal it, and that person probably knows how to get past the first obstacle." Harry nodded. "You've been holding out on us, Potter! What are we going to do with this information?"

Lily rapidly faded into view. "Nothing, except maybe tell a teacher that Hagrid can't keep secrets. You are all children, and too young to be putting yourselves in danger like this."

"Sorry, guys. She's right." Harry looked like he regretted ruining the others' fun, but they had to agree when they thought about it. Whatever protections were around the stone were meant to stop an adult wizard, eleven-year-olds shouldn't stand a chance.

Harry and Theo went to Professor Snape's office the next day to tell him about Hagrid's indiscretion. He was alarmed that they knew so much about it, but he immediately went to see the headmaster about increasing the security measures. The children assumed that this would be the last they heard about the stone, and for awhile it would be.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: A Letter to Sirius

_Padfoot,_

_Sorry it's been so long since I've written. I'm glad you're doing well now that you're out of the hospital. I can't wait to see the flat you've bought! Are you sure you won't be able to take me in yet this summer? Dumbledore promised Mum updates on his search for a new guardian for me, but he hasn't said anything since you got out of Azkaban. She says there's no way I'll be sent back to Petunia, but I'm starting to worry._

_School has been good. Charms yesterday was...interesting. _

"Good afternoon, Class. Today we will be working on the fire-making charm. The incantation is "_incendio_" and the wand movement is thus. Practice each separately a few times before you try the spell, as this one is a bit more volatile than the other charms we've been learning." Professor Flitwick then circulated the classroom watching each student's wandwork. Ambition and stupidity are obviously a bad combination. No one was sure if it was Crabbe or Goyle who started the fire, but the entire room had to be evacuated before Flitwick could contain the blaze using a widespread flame-freezing charm. Three people were sent to the hospital wing for burn paste.

_Potions has been going really well. Professor Snape is strict, but I can understand why he has to be. _

"Today, you will all be brewing a forgetfulness potion. The instructions are on the board. Ensure you prepare the mistletoe berries correctly to prevent disaster." Harry prepared the ingredients expertly. Between his experience with cooking and the extra potions books he'd found during his stay in Diagon Alley, he was comfortable with everything required of first years. He could have hummed to himself as he worked, if it weren't for the Potions Master's dour expression as he watched over them. Harry's rare mistakes were mostly glossed over like the rest of the Slytherin's, and he could usually earn a few house points with his concoctions. Only very occasionally did Professor Snape slip back into the hyper-critical attitude he had towards Harry at the beginning of the year.

_I've said before that Professor Snape is a good teacher and head of house, and it's still true. He listens to us when we're concerned about something even though we're young, and keeps us safe in class while we learn. I wish he was more consistent with how he treated me, though. I can tell he's trying to think of me like any other Slytherin, but he slips often enough for me to know that he doesn't really see me that way. I think it's all because Mum yelled at him after my first class. I'm just not sure that wondering when his true opinions of me will come out is much better than knowing what he thinks of me all the time. At least this way I can still learn potions, but I'm so on edge any time I'm around him for more than a few minutes._

_I've been getting closer with Daphne, Theo, and Blaise. When we have free evenings and weekends, we talk about rumors going around school and the differences between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Most of them have no idea what the Muggle world is like, since they're all purebloods, and they have been teaching me some things about the way they grew up that Mum could never have told me. Theo has admitted to being raised with some pretty strict blood-purist ideals, so I know to carefully think about things he says. He never treats me any differently for being a half-blood, though, so I don't think he really believes it. I've found it interesting how many things Muggles have a common technology for that Wizards don't have an equivalent to. Like cell phones! Muggles have handheld devices that let them talk to each other instantly over any distance, and the conversation isn't heard by everyone in the room like with floo calls. They are kinda expensive so not everyone has one, but they seem very convenient and the others haven't been able to come up with a magical equivalent. The same thing is true with the telly and films! _

_Millicent Bulstrode is cool too, but she's more of an acquaintance than a friend. She joins in when we work on homework together, but is less interested in our conversations. I guess I don't really know her very well. She doesn't seem to be close to Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle either, though. I hope she has some close friends in other houses or years and isn't on her own. Did you have any friends outside your house when you were in school? I met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger on the train, and they were sorted into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I wanted to be friends with them, and still do, but maintaining friendships with other houses seems hard. Any advice?_

_Now that I'm not getting headaches all the time, and Hagrid doesn't have a dragon, and my teachers mostly treat me normally school has been pretty boring. Mum says she hopes I get used to this state of things. I guess I do too, but after growing up with the Dursleys it would be strange to not be on guard all the time. Can something be both strange and good? Probably._

_I hope you're doing well, and write soon._

_Harry_

A/N: A million thanks to Finn-Eon, who left me a fantastic list of things that young Slytherins would talk about in the comments on Ao3!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: A Response from Sirius

A/N: A very short chapter, because I wanted to show Sirius comforting Harry but it felt awkward at the end of the previous chapter.

_Hi Pup,_

_I'm glad you're keeping busy and doing well in school. I won't be cleared by the healers to have custody of you by this summer, unfortunately. Don't worry though, Prongslet. If the headmaster tried to send you back to that house, I'd come find you with or without clearance. You won't have to live with the Dursleys again. I'm sure he's working on a solution, and just forgot that he promised updates. Having a ghost parent in the school has to be a new situation for him, don't you think?_

_I'm glad none of the disasters in your classes were caused by you (unless they were on purpose, of course) and that you weren't hurt. As for Snape, try not to let him get to you too much. I know it's easier said than done when you've grown up like we did, but try to remember that the school won't allow him to do anything to you but take points or assign detention, and Lily wouldn't stand by if he treated you unfairly._

_It's good to hear that you're having a good time with your friends. I used to talk with your mother and Moony about the Muggle world when I was in school, but cell phones must have been invented after I went to prison. It is interesting that wizards haven't come up with a magical equivalent. The closest I can think of is the two-way mirrors your dad and I used to use in school, but they are extremely rare and you couldn't have a private conversation on them without silencing wards. Maybe the divide comes from the fact that most purebloods don't know anything about Muggles, and most Muggleborns go into careers like ministry work or teaching, where they don't need to be as comfortable with experimental theory as you would in inventing. Maybe with your understanding of both sides, you could manage it!_

_I didn't really have any friends outside of Gryffindor in school, but Moony had a few Ravenclaw friends. I think he spent time with them mostly in the library studying, but they didn't get close until third year when we started having elective classes and he was in Arithmancy without any of the other Marauders. Even then, he was always closer to us. If you really want to get to know these two better, ask to write them over the summer, and when school starts up again in the fall you'll have a basis to ask them to spend time together._

_If school is getting too boring, you could always make your own trouble the way the Marauders did! Excitement doesn't have to be dangerous._

_Good luck studying for your exams,_

_Sirius_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Detention in the Forbidden Forest

Harry got his first ever detention just three weeks before exams, for passing notes of all things. McGonagall's class wasn't the best to fool around in, but he and his friends had been studying so much that they were burned out. Normally McGonagall probably would have just taken points, but she had been dealing with misbehavior in every class that day and she was done. Harry and Theo were instructed after class to meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall at eleven p.m.

"Eleven?" cried Lily, "They're children! They need their sleep!" McGonagall only gave Lily a tired look in response, as this was an argument they had had when she was Head Girl and Lily already knew her opinions on the matter.

"The entrance hall," the professor reminded them before walking out of the room.

Lily was once again floored when she found out the boys were being sent into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Filch responded to her protests with only a malicious grin, which she found even more infuriating than Minerva's steadfast refusal. Her frustration only mounted when Hagrid insisted that she and Fang would be adequate protection for Harry if they split into two groups, then left with Theo before she could reason with him.

They were following a trail of unicorn blood when Fang came to an abrupt stop in front of Harry and whimpered. The boy's protests at running into him silenced quickly when mother and son saw the body of the unicorn with a hooded figure hunched over it. Harry felt his amulet warm as it filtered Dark magic from the air around him. The figure looked up at the sound of the disturbance, and began to advance on the small group.

Thinking quickly, Harry picked up a rock and threw it at the advancing figure. At barely two meters, his aim was spot-on and he managed to hit the figure in the head, knocking it out. When it collapsed the hood fell back to reveal Professor Quirrell, turban sitting loosely atop his head. When Harry cast a levitation charm to transport the unconscious man to the castle, it fell away and revealed a grotesque second face on the back of Quirrell's bald head. Harry shouted in surprise, and Lily screamed in recognition. They fled the forest, leaving Quirrell behind.

Once inside the school, Harry decided to go to Professor Snape, since he had brought his concerns to him about Quirrell's Dark magic in the past and this seemed like a pertinent update. He rushed blindly to the professor's office, hoping he was still there at this hour. After pounding on the door for several minutes, Professor Snape appeared behind Harry having come back from rounds in the hallways. His expression was thunderous when he spoke.

"This had better be important, Mr. Potter, to be at my door after curfew."

"P-ProfessorQuirrellhasafaceonthebackofhishead!"

"Slow down, Potter. I can't understand when you speak so quickly."

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. Lily considered filling Severus in, but decided to let Harry handle the situation unless she was really needed. Even with her there, Lily wanted her son to learn independence.

"Professor Quirrell has a face on the back of his head, sir."

A blink was the only thing to suggest that Professor Snape was surprised. "And how, pray tell, did you discover this at nearly midnight on a school night?"

Harry told the story of the detention in the Forbidden Forest while Professor Snape ushered him into his office and sat him down in a chair. When Harry had finished his tale, he was skeptical at best.

"The Forbidden Forest late at night lends itself well to your eyes playing tricks on you, especially if you are young and underprotected. I am sure that this is nothing."

Harry began to protest, and Professor Snape cut him off. Lily decided it was time she intervened, given the apparent identity of the second face.

"He's telling the truth, Severus. I saw it too. And I recognized the face." Both Harry and Severus turned to her with wide eyes, Harry's the more noticeable by a long shot. "I could never forget the last face I saw before I died." Professor Snape had been standing until this point, but dropped into a chair at Lily's revelation. Harry took a moment longer to process the information.

"You mean Voldemort's been in my Defense classes all year!?"

"He was after the Stone," Snape breathed. He was stunned for a moment longer before he sprang into action. "Where in the forest did you leave him?"

Harry described the location as well as he could before Professor Snape swept out of the room with a determined look on his face. Unsure what else to do, Harry returned to the common room where he found Theo waiting and told him what he'd seen. The two boys stayed awake most of the night, saying nothing but too afraid to even try to sleep.

It was announced at breakfast the next day that Professor Quirrell had disappeared in the Forbidden Forest the night before, and that all Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were cancelled for the rest of the year. A study group for OWL and NEWT students would be arranged, the rest of the school's students would not have a Defense exam this year. When Harry and Lily were able to talk privately with Professor Snape, he told them that when he had reached the place where Harry left Quirrell in the woods, the turban was all that was left. He could only speculate that the professor had woken up, realized he was discovered, and fled the school. Harry felt a bit guilty for letting Voldemort escape until Lily reminded him that he was eleven, and didn't know nearly enough magic yet to be expected to hold an adult wizard against their will. Harry accepted her answer, and went back to studying for the exams that weren't cancelled.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Year's End

It was three days before exams, and Harry's worry over his summer arrangements clouded his mind so thoroughly that he could barely study. All of his friends had noticed, but it was only Theo who understood why. Harry confided his thoughts to his closest friend during one of their increasingly common insomnia-induced late night chats. Mehen was wrapped around his shoulders, as was common whenever Harry and Theo were alone and he could openly speak Parseltongue. He never had told the others in all the excitement that had followed Christmas break.

"Dumbledore promised Mum he'd find somewhere else for me to go this summer, but time is almost up. What if he doesn't?"

"Then your Godfather will come find you, like he said he would," said Theo soothingly.

"What if I can't contact anyone? If I go back to my relatives' house, I'm sure I'll be locked up in the cupboard right away..."

"He'll find a way. He took an Oath when he agreed to be your Godfather, he has to do everything he can for you when you need him or he'll lose his magic." Harry startled. Logically, it made sense that Godparents in the Wizarding world were magically bound to their Godchildren, but he had never considered the possible consequences. "The only reason he still has his magic now is because he thought you were safe when he was arrested, you know? And if he had refused the therapy he needs to take care of you, that would probably violate the Oath too."

Harry nodded thoughtfully and curled up on the sofa. He glanced over to Slytherin's portrait and smiled a nervous smile. Everything would be okay. It had to be.

The next day, Harry was summoned to the Headmaster's office via a note at dinner. He relaxed the tension he'd carried in his shoulders almost constantly for the last week, and his friends noticed the visible change in him. Without needing to know what the cause of his relief was, his friends were happy for him. After the meal, Harry nodded to his friends when they headed to the dungeons and Harry approached the gargoyle that guarded the office.

"Licorice whips," Harry said and stepped into the spiral staircase, where Lily faded into view.

"We would have appreciated an update sooner, Headmaster," said Lily in a cool voice when they entered Albus' office.

His genial smile became more strained as he spoke. "Well, this is a highly unusual situation that was not easily remedied. Lemon drop, Harry?" Harry shook his head, and Dumbledore replaced the dish on his desk. "It is highly uncommon for a wizarding child to have so little in the way of living family. When Sirius was released from Azkaban I had hoped the issue solved, but that is unfortunately not the case. The healers have said he isn't ready yet to have sole custody of a child, and legally Remus cannot be considered a guardian for you."

"Because he's a werewolf?" Harry asked, "That's so stupid."

"Yes, the extent to which a werewolf's freedoms are legally restricted is ridiculous, but changing such a law could not be practically done in time for Remus and Sirius to have joint custody of you this summer. I am hesitant to place you even temporarily with any of your friends' families while so many in Slytherin house come from such Dark families, including ones who worked for Voldemort during the war. Because this is so uncommon in our world, there are no Wizarding orphanages or foster homes. For any other child in your position I would consider a Muggle foster family, Hogwarts has ways to avoid exposing temporary Muggle guardians to our world, but you need more protection than I could ensure you in such a situation."

"Why do I need so much protection? Voldemort is gone."

Dumbledore glanced at Lily, unsure of how much Harry already knew about the war and what she would want him to know. She cut in. "I've told you that we went into hiding in the first place to protect you, baby. Voldemort wasn't there that night for your father and I, he was there for you. Even with him gone, his remaining followers might still come for you."

"Why did he want me, when I was just a baby?" Harry asked with a tremulous voice.

"There was a-"

"Lily, is it wise to tell him everything? He is so young, does he not deserve an unburdened childhood?"

Lily turned to Dumbledore, her expression showing the same rage she had confronted him with in September. "Harry's childhood has never been unburdened, Albus, and a large part of that is because of you. This will affect him whether he knows it or not, and I believe he deserves answers when he asks questions."

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Very well, then."

Lily turned back to Harry. "There was a prophecy, about us and him. He heard part of it that said you would be his end, and that lead him to seek you out. He wanted to kill you before you were strong enough to kill him."

"But you killed him when he came for me."

Lily smirked. "That was the part of the prophecy that he didn't hear."

"I don't understand," said Harry. "How could we both be prophesied to kill him?"

Sadly, Lily quoted the prophecy that had changed her world. _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…The mother shall leave behind a legacy of defeat, but the Dark Lord will rise again to challenge the child…A hunted child shall follow in mother's footsteps and bring about the Dark Lord's final end…The child will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

"So, he's not gone forever?"

"Unfortunately, no. And that's why you need to be protected. Ironically, you are prophesied to defeat him not because you're the only one who can but because he won't leave you alone until you do."

"That would be funny if it wasn't so awful."

Dumbledore cleared his throat gently. "Now that we are all filled in on why finding you a home to go to this summer was so difficult, shall we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Yes, sir." Harry's response was followed by a knock at the office door.

"Enter," said Dumbledore, and in walked Professor Snape.

"Just on time, my boy. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you Headmaster," replied Snape stiffly. "If you could tell me why I am here so I can continue preparing for exams."

"Of course, my boy. I was just about to tell Harry and Lily. Harry is in need of a place to stay this summer, as his previous home is no longer secure." Lily snorted derisively at the way Albus danced around the truth, but didn't contradict him. She would let Harry decide what to tell his Head of House and when. "Having exhausted other options, I have determined that it would be best for him to stay with you." Severus stiffened further. "Only temporarily, of course, until his Godfather is allowed by the Healers to take custody of him."

Severus looked to Lily and Harry, his mind warring. He cherished his breaks from students during the summers, but he also blamed himself for the Potters' deaths and Harry's need of a place to stay. He didn't know what Albus meant in saying the child's previous home wasn't secure, but it didn't bode well for him housing the child now. Finally, his sense of duty won out over his apprehensions, bolstered by the knowledge that it was a temporary situation. He nodded jerkily.

Harry's mind was also racing. He knew that Professor Snape barely tolerated him, and he was always awkward around his Mum too. At school, he managed to keep the tension he felt from turning into panic because he knew what Hogwarts allowed as punishment. In the man's home, he had no idea how he would be treated. What if it was worse than the Dursleys? The things Theo had told him about his father made him cringe, wizards had many more methods of inflicting pain and punishment than muggles did. But he looked to his Mum, and remembered how she had shut Professor Snape's unfair treatment down at the beginning of the year, and comforted himself in the knowledge that she would have some power to protect him in a wizarding home that she never had at the Dursleys. Hesitantly, he nodded too.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed the headmaster, apparently oblivious to both parties' reservations about the arrangement. "Now, there is no need for secrecy among close friends and family, of course, but we should make an effort not to make this arrangement common knowledge. Harry, you should ride the Hogwarts Express at the end of term and Floo to the Leaky Cauldron where Severus can meet you away from so many prying eyes and escort you to his home. Any further questions?"

"Will I need to take him to his previous home to collect his belongings? And what will be done about Warding at my home?"

"Harry has nothing to retrieve," said Lily shortly. Severus concealed his surprise at this. He had been in the Slytherin dorms a couple times this year, and he knew Potter didn't have an above-average amount of belongings at school. He had noticeably less than his wealthy classmates, in fact, and Severus knew the Potter vaults belonged solely to Harry.

"I will personally work with a warding expert during the exam period to ensure that your home is secure," the headmaster assured him. "You will need to be present only for the beginning and end of the process to properly key the wards."

Severus nodded again. "If I may take my leave?"

"Of course, my boy. I'll send word of when the warding process will begin once I've arranged it with my partner." Severus didn't respond to the headmaster's last statement as he swept wordlessly from the room. Harry swallowed nervously, and Dumbledore faced him again.

"I am terribly sorry for the suffering that my ignorance has caused you, my boy. If there is anything you need from me, do not hesitate to ask." Harry gave a barely perceptible nod. "You are free to go back to your studies. Good luck on exams, and my wishes for a good summer, my boy." Harry nodded again and practically fled the room. Once he was in the corridor by the gargoyle again, he leaned against the wall and took deep, shaky breaths.

"It'll be okay, baby. I'll make sure of it. I'll keep you safe now, Harry," Lily crooned quietly to him until he was calmed down. After cleaning himself up in a nearby lavatory, he returned to the dungeons and joined his friends studying in the common room.

Theo was surprised when Harry told him about the plan for the summer. "Professor Snape worked with my father during the war," he said carefully. "I'll owl you regularly. I'm sure it'll be okay." He didn't look sure. The pit of worry in Harry's stomach grew, but he pushed it aside.

Harry finally managed to drown his worry over the summer in his worry over the exams and focus on studying. His and Theo's late nights switched rapidly from casual conversations to fevered reviews over each of their classes. When the exams were over, Harry felt like he had done the best he could. He spent as much time as possible with his friends, roaming the grounds and the corridors and animatedly discussing the most trivial things they could think of. Harry was one of the only first years packed the night before the Hogwarts Express was due to arrive. He stroked Mehen's scales and resisted the urge to converse with the snake in front of his roommates.

As the students packed into the thestral-drawn carriages to go to the Hogsmeade station, Hagrid caught up with him and gifted him a photo album of his parents and their friends. Harry smiled widely and hugged the half-giant around the waist, surprising the man thoroughly.

The ride on the train was occupied with sweets and promises of summer correspondences. That reminded Harry of his last letter with Sirius, and he excused himself to find his acquaintances from other houses. By the time they arrived at King's Cross, Harry had secured promises to write from a surprised Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

Harry waved goodbye to his friends at King's Cross and stepped into the floo, pulling his trunk behind him and carefully pronouncing "The Leaky Cauldron, London!" On the other side, he came face to face with Severus Snape, looking as dour as ever, and was led to the nearby house just off Diagon Alley that he would call his temporary home.

A/N: This is the end of Book 1! In J.K.R.'s style, summers will be included in the same book as the year they precede. Well That Just Won't Do - Book 2 and a couple of side stories to this book will post soon!


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